December 1, 2025 • 45 mins
What if your generosity didn’t start with a percentage but with a conversation with God? As we close our long walk through First Corinthians, we step into chapter 16 and the often-misunderstood topic of giving. We contrast Old Covenant tithing with New Covenant freedom, tracing how the apostles move us from rule-keeping to Spirit-led generosity—and why that shift brings relief, joy, and purpose.
We open the text where Paul organizes a collection for the saints and show how his instructions emphasize readiness, intentionality, and integrity over emotional pressure. Then we connect this with 2 Corinthians 9 to unpack the farmer’s wisdom: sow sparingly, reap sparingly; sow bountifully, reap bountifully. The promise isn’t a cash windfall but a richer harvest of spiritual and eternal good. Along the way, we tackle common myths—like “give 10 percent to earn blessings”—and replace them with four clear principles: give cheerfully, remember everything is gift, give with purpose and love, and refuse guilt or compulsion. We also get practical about preparing gifts in private, caring for family obligations, and directing support toward people in need, healthy local churches, and faithful missions.
You’ll also hear Paul’s pastoral heart in his travel notes, his commendation of co-workers, and his final charge to watch, stand firm, be brave, be strong, and let all you do be done in love. The thread running through it all is identity: when grace defines who we are, generosity becomes a joyful reflection of our Father’s character. If you’ve ever felt boxed in by formulas or shamed by fundraising tactics, this conversation invites you back to the quiet place to ask, “Father, what would you have me do?”
If this helped you breathe easier and think deeper about giving, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a short review. Your feedback helps more people discover freedom, joy, and purpose in Jesus.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
First Corinthians.
Thanks, Knox.
Appreciate that.
First Corinthians chapter 16.
We're gonna we're gonna getthrough this whole book, this
whole chapter, the and we'regonna finish the book today.
So look, 31 weeks it took us toget through the book of First
Corinthians.
So give yourself a hand, a paton the back.
You guys did great studying theword.
(01:15):
It's building up, you know, aknowledge of God's word and his
will in your life.
So I'm really proud of you guys.
It's so vital that as a churchwe continue to study the word
verse by verse so that we canknow it and be able to live
according to it.
So today's sermon is called WhoPut the Giving in Thanksgiving?
(01:36):
Welcome to our sermon.
Two men crashed a plane on adeserted island in the middle of
nowhere, in the middle of thePacific Ocean.
And they both survived thecrash.
And just after this terribleordeal, one of the men walks
over the entire island and comesto the conclusion that there's
no food, no water, they're gonnadie.
(02:00):
And he goes back to where hisfriend is to explain their
predicament.
He says, I've searched thisentire island and haven't found
any food or water, and we aredefinitely gonna die.
The power is back.
How's the streaming?
Are we still streaming?
(02:23):
Sure.
Okay.
So it's a good thing we're justin the joke.
Okay.
The other man says, Don't worry,don't worry about being crash
land.
I make a hundred thousanddollars a week.
Wow.
We're gonna be fine.
(02:43):
Yeah, but don't you see there'sno food, there's no water.
We're your hundred thousand backon the mainland, that's gonna do
nothing for us.
Like I said, man, I make ahundred grand a week.
Don't worry, we'll be home in aday, two days max.
Why in God's name do you keepsaying that your money is gonna
(03:06):
make a difference way the heckout here in the middle of
nowhere?
How can that matter?
And the guy just sits backagainst the wrecked plane and he
puts his hands behind his headand he just takes a deep breath
and he says with a smile, youknow, every Sunday I give 10%,
my tithe, I give it to thechurch in the offering plate,
(03:30):
like the good book instructs meto do.
My pastor's gonna find me.
(03:51):
We're gonna talk, we let's justget into our text here.
Okay, so we get into 1Corinthians chapter 16.
It says, Now concerning thecollection for the saints, as I
have given orders to thechurches in Galatia, so you also
must do.
On the first day of the week,let each one of you lay
something aside, storing it upas he may prosper, that there
(04:12):
may be no collections when Icome.
Okay, so we we have to talkabout giving today, not because
I chose to or I want to or weneed it, but because we've
reached the place in the Biblewhere it talks about it and it
teaches us about it.
And it actually is gonna teachus uh so much.
You're gonna feel so free aftertoday, I promise you.
(04:34):
This is not gonna be like thetraditional way that you've ever
been taught about giving in yourlife.
I promise you.
How many of you have been taughtthat you should give 10% of
everything you make to the Lord?
Okay, I was also, I was taught.
Let's start by saying that thatwas called the tithe, right?
(04:57):
And that was in the OldTestament, there was a command
to the nation of Israel.
That was part of the law.
And when Jesus came, that lawwas still intact, okay?
So the uh the he came to thenation of Israel, and so he
talked a lot about their lawsand what they were going, uh
what they were under and howthey were relating to God at
(05:19):
that point.
But then Jesus died and he roseagain for our sins, and and he
changed everything.
And one of the things he changedis that we have all been
completely set free from thelaw, and the law includes the
law to tithe, it includes alllaws, even the law to honor the
(05:44):
Sabbath.
Like, did you sit at homeyesterday on Saturday and do
nothing all day because Godcommanded you?
No, you probably went out anddid stuff, right?
I know I did.
I swam in my pool, we went tothe beach, it was it was a great
day.
Um, and the and tithing was isone of the laws, okay?
So we have to understand this,and we're all gonna learn today
(06:05):
that that giving is nevermeasured by 10% or numbers at
all, but by the heart.
Okay, we're gonna we're gonnalearn this today.
The Spirit He floods us, hefloods us with blessings and
(06:26):
joy, and you have theopportunity to release a little
bit of the grace that God hasgiven you when you cheerfully
give to worthy causes.
Okay?
That's what we're gonna learntoday.
So the New Testament makes itvery, very clear that the the
church, all us believers,everyone who believes in Jesus,
(06:49):
we are free from all OldTestament laws, including the
requirement to tithe 10% of allthe money that you make.
Here's some key passages I wannaI wanna show, I want to prove to
you, okay?
So, what I'm saying is thatthere is no command for
Christians to tithe.
There is no command for you togive 10% of your money.
(07:09):
I'm gonna say it third time forthe people in the back.
There is no command.
You do not have to tithe.
Are you do you understand?
You are free.
It is a hundred percent you arefree.
And this is not even debatable.
Good Google it.
Is there any commands in the NewTestament to tithe?
No, there is not.
Well, then why have I heard it?
Hmm, that's it.
(07:31):
That's a really good question.
You should probably maybe talkto your pastor about that.
But let's look at thesescriptures so that we hear from
the Word of God what the truthis.
It says, For sin shall no longerbe your master, for you are not
under the law, but under grace.
So that verse emphasizes howChristians are not bound by the
law, but we live under the graceof God.
(07:54):
And grace changes our hearts tobe like God.
And guess what?
He is selfless and he isgenerous.
And these are clues to what weare gonna be like when we're
under grace.
You're gonna be greedy and keepall your money to yourself.
No?
(08:14):
That's right.
Boldly say it.
No, that's right.
Here's another verse, Galatians5, 18.
But if you are led by theSpirit, you're not under the
law.
Tithing was a law, but if we'reled by the Spirit, we're not
under the law.
Paul explains that if you're ledby the Spirit, you're not
(08:35):
subject to any of therequirements of the law.
Hebrews chapter 7, verse 18.
The former regulation, that'sthe law, is set aside because of
its weak and useless or weaknessand unprofitableness.
And there's a better hopethrough which we draw near to
(08:57):
God.
That means that the law was setaside or done away with because
there's a better way to be agood person, and it's called the
Holy Spirit or grace.
God is going to inspire us byhis love and by his spirit
inside us, he's gonna inspire usin a totally different way than
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you should give 10%.
That is not the way God is goingto inspire you because that's
law.
Anytime you see, I you say, Ihave to do this, you have put
yourself under the law.
When you say, I want and I'mpassionate to do something, that
is being led by the Spirit orgrace.
(09:44):
The last one we'll look at here,Colossians 2.14, having canceled
the charge of our legal, andwell, let me just read it in
this version, having wiped outthe handwriting of requirements
that was against us, which wascontrary to us, he's taken it
out of the way, having nailed itto the cross.
Have anyone, have has anyone inhere given 10% of all that you
(10:09):
have ever made faithfully yourentire life?
No?
Well, great.
According to the law, we're allgoing to hell.
See, see, see, when we want tolive under the law, it's not
measuring how good you are.
(10:29):
It's measuring how short youfall from perfection.
That's the law.
The law is not a message ofhope.
It's not this is what you shouldbe, it's this is what perfection
is, and this is how far awayfrom it we are.
So no one has tithed 10%.
(10:51):
In fact, there's been a lot ofteaching about tithing since the
church started, I think.
And especially the past hundredyears, there's come a lot of
preachers in this philosophythat if you tithe, God will
bless you.
If you tithe, it's gonna, it'sgonna, that 10% is gonna earn
(11:12):
you God's blessings.
Hmm.
But what we're not seeing inthis is that nobody tithes.
And they've done, Barna has donesurveys, and guess how many
people die tithe 10%?
Less than one-tenth of onepercent of all Christians
actually tithe 1%, 10%.
(11:34):
If if you take an average of howmuch Christians tithe all around
the world, it would average 3%.
That's about how much peoplegive.
So I said I propose, and I thinkthe Bible teaches, we scrap the
entire system.
We are never gonna ask people totithe.
We don't.
Have you ever heard us ask youfor money at this church?
(11:56):
Never.
And guess what?
We never will.
We never, ever, ever will.
And I have been a pastor for uhwe did we did 10 years at my
previous church and served inministry 10 years before that.
Never in any church I haveserved at have we ever asked for
money.
And we never will.
And guess what?
(12:17):
I've eaten every day of my lifetoo much.
God has provided generously.
Why?
Because he loves me and he hasgrace upon me, and I have been
completely dependent upon himfor my salary, my money, for
since I was 21 years old.
And God has provided every stepof the way without ever asking
(12:42):
for money.
And so we will continue to dothat.
If we scrap the whole system ofasking people to give 10% and
teach them instead, God lovesyou, God cherishes you, God has
been so generous to you.
I'm gonna skip ahead to the endof the sermon right now.
Go spend some time with him andsee what he puts on your heart.
(13:07):
I think we're gonna come out wayahead, and God's kingdom is
gonna advance because we're notjust gonna be getting money,
we're gonna be getting peoplewho are now connected to a
loving father, and they're gonnabe offering not just their
money, but their time and theirhearts.
And like like Nate, uh Natecomes in and sings.
I'm just gonna use you as anexample.
(13:28):
Nate, you come in and sing andoffer your uh the world has to
pay him so much money to sing.
The world had though they haveto pay, you don't pay for you
don't work for pennies, right?
They pay you the big bucks,right?
And we d someone tried to payyou one time and it was you you
(13:52):
ripped up the check and threw itin their face and called them a
dirty name.
And um, I I just love that hehas it in his heart that he
wants to give his talent and histime to Jesus.
And guess what?
He has never just blown me off.
He's never, I'm just talkingabout you probably making you
feel a little bad, but he's donea wonderful job.
(14:13):
Thank you, Nate, for that.
We appreciate that.
And it and it shows that theSpirit of God is working in his
heart.
I got I'm getting so off on atangent here, I need to get back
to my notes.
All right, these passages thatwe read, they they all tell us
that Christians are not underthe law, even the law to tithe.
(14:33):
Okay, you are absolutely free.
Um, instead, we're invited tolive by the spirit.
And that's what we talk aboutevery week.
And we have to know how to liveby the spirit.
You gotta know how to live bythe spirit.
It's easy to know how to live bythe law.
It says this, I do this.
But guess what?
You suck at doing that.
I suck at doing that.
We can't do it.
(14:54):
So we have to have a differentway to live, which is called
living by the spirit, where wegive freely and joyfully from
the heart as an expression ofour thankfulness and gratitude
to God, which is how Nate leadsus in worship, which I am very
grateful for.
But won't God owe me and blessme if I give him 10%?
Is my life gonna be better?
(15:16):
Hmm, no.
No, you are not more saved ifyou give a special amount to the
Lord.
Did you know that?
There's no different place inheaven for Christians who tithed
close to 10%, or one week tithed10%.
(15:37):
You're not more loved or lessloved because of your
performance.
That's what the awesome thing isabout being a child of God.
You are not less loved becauseyou fail to measure up to
something.
You are loved, period.
You are adopted, period, byfaith in Christ.
(15:58):
And so it's never yourperformance.
That it said was done away with.
It was nailed to the cross.
Our lack of performance, ourfailure to measure up to his Ten
Commandments and all therequirements in the Old
Testament, all of that failurewas nailed to the cross.
And what do we get in exchange?
Grace and love and acceptance.
(16:21):
He he treats us as if you giveeverything to him.
He treats us as if you wereJesus.
You can never earn grace becauseit's always a free gift.
And your place and position withGod is always free.
It doesn't matter what I do.
(16:43):
You're saying it doesn't matterwhat I do?
Are you saying it doesn't matterwhat I do?
No, it actually matters morewhat you do now.
Because everything you do as aChristian is a reflection of
your identity that God has givenyou by his grace.
(17:06):
Everything you do is areflection of his gift he's
given to you.
So if you take, you have beenforgiven, and if you take that
forgiveness and you parade itaround this city and sin as much
as you want, that is a poorreflection of the grace that's
(17:26):
been given you.
That doesn't look like God.
Your actions do not line up withthe grace that has been given to
you.
And that's why your life mattersmore now.
What you do matters more now.
So we're gonna look at 2Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6
through 8.
He says, But I say this I say,he who sows sparingly will also
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reap sparingly, he who sowsbountily will also reap
bountifully.
So let each one give as hepurposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity, forGod loves a cheerful giver, and
God is able to make all graceabound towards you, that you
always, having all sufficiencyin all things, may have an
(18:11):
abundance for every good work.
So let's break that down.
He says, He who sows sparinglywill reap sparingly.
He who sows bountifully willreap bountifully.
Does this mean that God willreturn to you a financial
blessing every time you make afinancial gift?
(18:32):
Is that what it means?
No.
I like that answer.
When you give, what does itpromise?
What is this promise?
He promises you that you will berewarded, but it may be
spiritual blessings, it may beheavenly blessings.
(18:55):
Did you know you can't take yourbank account to heaven?
Did you know that?
When you die, it's gonna go tosomebody that you probably don't
even like anymore.
But you can send it ahead.
God says anything you give withthe by the Spirit will be sent
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ahead and you will reap.
Remember last week we talkedabout our bodies and how it's
sowed and then it becomessomething glorious?
Well, the same happens with yourlife, through everything you do,
including your giving.
If you sow it, God will blessyou.
But it he doesn't promise thatyou're gonna get rich.
I want you to understand, thisis not the path to get rich.
(19:42):
That is false teaching.
It is not true in the Bible.
Giving does not mean you willget rich.
God will not, that's not, it mayhappen.
He loves to, he loves to blessyou.
He may make you rich justbecause he loves you.
It might happen.
He does, but if he makes youpoor, that doesn't mean he
(20:03):
doesn't love you.
It means he's chosen you torepresent him in even a more
special way than those who arerich.
Ah, there's so much here that wecould talk about.
Any rewards God gives you inthis life are just temporary.
Why?
Because this life is temporary.
So if God just made you richwhen you gave to him, that would
be a junkie reward and comparedto if he gave it to you in
(20:27):
heaven.
It's like, do you want thecookie now or the pack of
cookies later?
Any kid knows how to make a gooddeal, right?
So storing up treasures inheaven is a valid way to think
about your life, your resources,and everything.
(20:47):
So the tithe.
Literally the word tithe means10%.
So I don't even like using theword tithe when we're talking to
Christians, uh, because it putsa number on it, right?
And tithing is not a requirementfor Christians.
So where does the idea comefrom?
Well, it comes from the OldTestament and the Old Covenant,
(21:08):
and God took it very seriously.
Look at what he says in Malachichapter three.
He says, Will a man rob God, yetyou are robbing me?
So he's talking to the nation ofIsrael, and he says, How have we
robbed you?
In in tithes and contributions.
You are cursed with a curse, foryou're robbing me uh and the
whole nation of you.
Bring in the full tithe and thestorehouses, and he goes on and
(21:29):
says, It's it's it's robbingGod.
So they were required to tithe,the entire nation.
And uh we got to keep that incontext that it was in the name
in the old covenant, in the law.
And so in Leviticus 27, 30, hesays, Every tithe of the land,
whether of the sea or the landor the fruits or the trees, is
(21:50):
the Lord's, and it is holy tothe Lord.
And then Jesus comes on thescene.
And you're like, Well, didn'tJesus talk about tithing?
Absolutely, he did.
Two Jewish people who weretithing, because they thought
that tithing made themrighteous, because they did a
good job tithing, God had toaccept them.
Okay?
But that's not what God waslooking for.
God was looking for theirhearts, and God wanted to give
(22:12):
them grace, and their beingunder this law of tithing was
keeping them from receivinggrace.
So Jesus said, Woe to you,scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you tithe mintand dill and cumin, and you've
neglected neglected theweightier matters of the law.
So that means tithing was amatter of the law.
We've been freed from the law.
Okay.
Justice and mercy andfaithfulness are more important
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to God.
These you ought to have donewithout neglecting the other.
So notice Jesus, he's reprovingthem not for tithing.
He says, Fine that you'retithing, that was great.
But you're jerks.
You're you're terrible people.
You don't care about anybody.
Why?
Because they didn't have theheart of their father.
Uh, but they thought they wereright with God because they were
(22:55):
giving 10%.
That's the problem with tithing.
Most, not most, some pastorswill tell you, hey, if you want
to be right with God, get startby giving your 10%.
I'm telling you, that is thelast step in fruitfulness in the
(23:18):
life of a Christian.
Having a generous heart is notwhere you start, it's the end
result.
So I'm never gonna tell you, youknow, hey, let's get started.
You're coming to church.
Well, let's get your bankaccount signed up here.
Absolutely not.
Okay, we're not after yourmoney, we're after your heart.
Because Jesus is after yourheart.
He knows that when he gets ahold of your heart, you'll come
(23:41):
every week and lead worship andnever do, never say a word about
it.
Just lovingly serve.
You'll come and you'll vacuum,you'll you'll serve, you'll
you'll love on people, you'll becalling people up because he's
got your heart with his love andyou just love other people.
That's what we're after.
That's the real gospel.
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Um, so this requirement totithe, like we said, is not
repeated in the New Testament.
Believers are not under this lawin any way.
Uh, it's never repeated.
So, does that mean thatChristians, we are not expected
to give?
(24:22):
Not at all.
Actually, Jesus taught us manyways that we can give.
So let's talk about that now.
First, Jesus taught us to giveto those who are in need, to
notice those who are in need andto give to those who are in
need.
He told us a parable in Matthew25 said, and he says, if you
don't do this, he says, it'spossible that you don't even
(24:46):
know me.
Notice, he doesn't say you'renot, you you didn't follow the
rules, and so you're going tohell because you didn't follow
the rules.
He says, if you don't give topeople, if your heart isn't
moved by the need of others, hesays, you gotta ask yourself if
you even know me.
That's what it's about.
A second way you can give is youcan support your local church,
(25:09):
your local friendly church.
It's great to have a churchthat's committed to worship God
in truth and teach his word andsend out and raise up and train
up new pastors who will also goout and build God's kingdom.
And that's that's uh a great wayto invest your um generosity in
(25:32):
the kingdom.
When you find a church likethat, support it as much as you
can.
And as much as you can rejoicein.
The third way, another way thatyou can give, is by supporting
missions and ministries andmissionaries.
They are living by faith.
They don't have, they're notmaking money with a corporate
(25:54):
paycheck.
They are living by faith.
Missions is an incredible waythat we can send our generosity
out into God's kingdom workingworld.
So next week we're gonna behaving a missions week where
we're gonna talk about differentways that we as a church are
gonna work uh at uh helping outmissionaries and different
(26:18):
ministries.
So come next week and we'll talkabout that.
We're gonna um, but that'sthat's great.
Now I want to talk about fourprinciples, not rules, but
principles that you can keep inmind when you think about giving
that will help you.
And they're not gonna be 10%.
Okay, I'm never gonna say that.
(26:40):
These are not like religiousrules, they're just principles
you can keep in mind.
I want to look again, I'm gonnaread again the text in 2
Corinthians 9.
This I say, he who sowssparingly will reap sparingly,
he who sows bountifully willreap bountifully.
So let each one purpose in hisheart, give as he purposes in
his heart, not grudgingly or ofnecessity, for God loves a
(27:02):
cheerful giver.
And God is able to make allgrace abound towards you, that
you always having allsufficiency in all things may
have an abundance for every goodwork.
All right, principle number one,freedom and cheerfulness.
Give what you have decided inyour heart.
(27:23):
Give what you have decided inyour heart, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God lovesa cheerful giver.
Okay, so this means you have to,have to, have to be joyful.
In other words, if you give andyou're not joyful, it doesn't
count.
If you give because God becausesomeone convinced you to give,
(27:45):
that doesn't count.
The only thing that counts is ifyou're like, yes, I'm so excited
to partner with what God isdoing here.
That is the only way that itworks.
Why does God do that?
Because it's safe for you.
You can never go back and say,well, that pastor sure made me
emotionally feel like I shoulddo this.
(28:07):
Or he he told a sob story abouthe's not gonna get paid and his
little kids aren't gonna eatbecause the church isn't
supporting him.
That is not the way to make thishappen.
You have to give cheerfully anduh it you are free to give.
Your giving doesn't matter ifit's motivated by any other
(28:30):
purpose except pure love andGod's grace in your life.
All right, the second one we'regonna look at is grace and
generosity.
Recognize that everything youhave is a gift from God.
Do you believe that?
Everything you have was given toyou by God.
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That's humility, and God givesgrace to the humble.
But pride says, wait a second, Iworked hard for everything I
got.
That's pride, and God says heresists the proud.
So you're not gonna experiencethis oneness and closeness with
God if you have a philosophythat says, I earned my place in
(29:12):
life.
I earned this life, I earnedthis marriage, and I'm gonna
keep it, and no one's gonna takeit from me.
That heart isn't God's heart,and we can't walk in that heart
and know that He, know what Hisheart is.
And the the only thing aboutthis life that really matters is
connecting with your father'sheart, which I'm gonna show you
(29:35):
how to do.
The third thing is purpose andlove.
You gotta let your giving bemotivated by love and a desire
to support the work of thegospel and help those who are in
need.
So when we give, it's aboutparticipating in God's mission
and expressing God's love toothers.
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It's never to get credit for it,which is why we don't pass an
offering plate.
So you can be like, you seethese dollar bills, I'm coming
in here.
I'm like, why would you ever dothat?
And in my opinion, I'm like, whywould you ever pass the so that
people can get attention?
We have a we have a secret placewhere you can give.
And if you want to find it, goodluck.
(30:20):
Because it needs to be done withpurpose and love.
And fourth, most importantly, nopressure, no guilt.
There is no specific percentage,there is no specific
requirement.
You are free to give as you areled.
Whether that's more or less thanthe traditional 10%, it does not
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matter at all.
Focus on the heart and thewillingness to give what God
puts in your heart.
Here's the problem.
We're scared.
We are scared.
We're scared because we reallydon't think God loves us.
(31:07):
And so when we get something,we're fearful to give it away
because we forget that God gaveus that in the first place and
he can give more and he willgive more.
He is a generous father.
He doesn't ask you to give todestroy you.
He's asking you to give so thatyou can discover his
(31:28):
faithfulness and his love.
That he is truly your father.
I've heard it said that you cannever outgive God.
And I believe that that is true.
God will provide for your needs.
Those are the promises God hasmade.
But when we feel the pressure oflike, well, I got all this and I
(31:51):
got that, God doesn't say togive beyond your means.
He doesn't say, hey, I got thisbill coming up, but if I give,
then I can't pay my bill.
God never says that.
He says, pay your bills.
Pay your bills first.
Now, maybe you were stupid andsigned up for a bill you
shouldn't be getting.
Ferrari didn't, he didn't needto have a Ferrari.
(32:13):
So that's on you.
So yeah, you might get infinancial discipline because you
spent too much.
And you should talk through thatand you should confess that to
the Lord as a sin.
But his heart is to build you upand to teach you to be content
with what you have and thengenerously give to God's
(32:34):
purposes after that.
There's never pressure or guilt.
Okay.
Don't give at the expense ofyour own family.
If your family is like, well,God's told me to give everything
and my kids are going to starvethis week, so bye.
That's not God's will.
In fact, Paul says, if you don'tprovide for the needs of your
family, you're worse than anunbeliever.
(32:56):
So always take care.
If you're not going to be ableto pay your bills or pay your
rent, that's the church is goingto maybe be pot be able to help
you or people.
God might use people'sgenerosity to help you.
And then once you're able, youcan tithe what God puts on your
tithe.
Oh, I'm so terrible.
Give what God puts on yourheart.
See how tradition is just theworst?
(33:18):
Okay.
All right, back to our text.
You're like, you're gonna finishthis entire chapter.
We've only gone through oneverse.
Check it out.
Concerning the collection of thesaints, I've given orders to the
Church of Galatia, so you alsomust do on the first day of the
week, let each one of you layaside something, storing up as
(33:41):
he may prosper, that there be nocollections when I come.
So let's just look at a couplethings in this.
Let each one of you, so who'ssupposed to give?
He says, each person, not justthe rich people, not just the
poor people, not just thespiritual people.
Paul wanted all to give becauseevery Christian should be a
giver.
Why?
Because God is a giver and weshare in his identity.
(34:04):
So it doesn't matter how much.
He says, as you purpose in yourown heart.
But he says, each person,there's just something that
we're sharing in the identitythat God has given you.
You're letting his love leak outof you when you choose to
secretly give.
But who's gonna see if Isecretly give?
(34:27):
That's the point.
Your father sees.
And it makes him smile whenyou're like, Father, I'm doing
this for you.
Not for any man, not for anyreason, but I do it for you.
He says, lay something aside,storing it up.
So this has the idea of comingto church with your gift already
prepared.
Do not give because the pastortells you to give.
(34:48):
Never do listen to a pastor likethat.
You should always go at home toyour seeker place, seek God
about your gift at home.
Prepare it at home.
Whether you do it online or youprepare it, however, you prepare
it.
This makes one thing important.
(35:10):
You gotta seek God.
You have to seek the Lord.
That's what I'm teaching youtoday.
Seek God.
He wants to talk with you aboutthis, he wants to meet with you.
If you just say, Well, I'm justgonna give 10%, we're good,
right, Jesus?
Jesus is like, no, I don't wantyou to give 10%.
(35:31):
You're free from that rule.
Do not do that.
Do not do that.
When we seek the Lord, it helpsyou resist the manipulation to
give.
If I were a terrible pastor, Iwould try to manipulate you,
saying, Oh, if we had thismoney, if we did this, we could
do that, we could do the other.
(35:51):
Oh, God has been really lettingus down, and he needs you to
really dig deep and reallysacrifice.
All of that is manipulation.
Don't listen to it.
Fire me if I say that.
And then he says, That there beno collections when I come.
That's cool.
Paul didn't want to manipulateanyone, he wanted their giving
(36:13):
to be from the heart as theyheard from God themselves.
You know how exciting it is tohear God's voice?
Go ask him, Lord, what should Ido and what should I give?
What can I do for your kingdom?
And I guarantee you, as you openthe Bible and you start reading,
(36:34):
God will speak to you.
Wow, that's amazing.
I'm not gonna tell you.
Your spouse isn't gonna tellyou.
God will speak to you.
And it is the most excitingthing in the world to have God
speak directly to you.
Then you and him have like thissecret thing.
Oh, God told me to do this.
(36:54):
And I'm gonna do it.
And I know it makes him smilewhen I obey him in that way.
What do we see here?
That when you when you aregiving, it's an amazing
opportunity to seek the heart ofyour father and hear his voice.
And he promises everyone whoseeks him with their whole heart
will find him.
(37:15):
Now, if you seek him, God, wherewould you like my five dollars
to go?
And you know that maybe youshould do more or less, doesn't
matter.
But if you put a limit on it orif you put a number on it,
that's not seeking him with thewhole heart.
That's seeking him with thispart of your heart or that part
of you.
He wants your whole heart.
(37:36):
He promises you that it's gonna,he's gonna fill it with love.
He's already filled your heartwith love.
So to discover it, openeverything to him and put
everything on the table and say,My whole life is yours.
My whole life belongs to you,Jesus.
You will find when you seek himthat he's way better than you
(37:57):
think.
He's way more capable ofchanging your mind than you
think.
He's way more powerful andloving than you think.
But he will wait until you getalone with him to reveal that
part of him to you.
He'll wait for you to reallyunderstand it and see it and
experience it.
He'll wait till you say, I'mgonna seek you, Father.
(38:19):
I'm gonna open up my word andI'm gonna get on my knees and
I'm gonna seek you.
Do not give to this church orany ministry until you do that.
Do not give your money, yourhard-earned money anywhere until
you seek the Lord's heart.
(38:39):
I do not want a line of peopleat our secret giving place
today.
I want you to go home today andtalk to your father about it.
And then do whatever God puts onyour heart.
Then he says, Uh gosh.
I'm gonna skip this part here.
(38:59):
All right, let's finish thebook.
When it when I come, whomeveryou approve by your letters, I
will send to bear your gift toJerusalem.
But if if it is fitting that Iall go also, then they will go
with me.
Now I will come to you when Ipass through Macedonia, for I am
passing through Macedonia, andit may be when I remained, or
(39:21):
even spend the winter with you,that you may send me on my
journey wherever I go.
Look at Paul was a winterMacedonian.
It's biblical to spend yourwinter someplace warm.
Right, Dad?
(39:42):
All right, for I do not wish youuh to see you now on the on the
way, but I hope to stay a whilewith you, if the Lord permits.
But I will tarry in Ephesusuntil Pentecost, for a great and
an effective door has opened tome, and there are many
adversaries.
If Timothy comes, see that hemay be with you without fear,
(40:03):
for he does the work of the Lordas I also do.
Therefore, let no one despisehim, but send him on his journey
in peace, that he may come tome, for I am waiting for him
with the brethren.
Now concerning our brotherApollos, I strongly urged him to
come to you with the brethren,but he was quite unwilling to
(40:24):
come at this time.
However, he will come when it isa convenient time.
Watch, stand fast in the faith,be brave, be strong, and let all
you do be done with love.
So we called our entire study of1 Corinthians Grace Glasses.
Having grace glasses, whenyou're seeing the world through
(40:45):
the philosophy of grace, thetheology of the new covenant, it
has gonna have a real effect onthe on your life.
You're gonna be able to, you'regonna be watching because you're
gonna be able to see rightly.
You're gonna be able to standfast in the faith.
You're gonna be brave, you'regonna be strong, you're gonna be
able to let all that you do bedone with love.
(41:06):
Why?
Because this is your newidentity in Christ.
You are brave, you are strong inChrist.
And that's that's uh what that'sabout there.
So he's kind of finishing up andhe says, I urge you, brethren,
you should know the household ofStephanus, that it is the first
fruits of Achaea, and that theyhave devoted themselves to the
(41:28):
ministry of the saints, that yousub also submit to such as to
and to everyone who works andlabors with us.
I'm glad about the coming ofStephanus, Fortunatus, and
Achaeus, for they, what waslacking on your part, they
supplied.
These were various teachers andpastors that Paul was working
with, and he's just saying,they're doing a great job.
(41:50):
Thank you for listening to themand supporting them.
For they refreshed my spirit andyours.
Therefore, acknowledge such men.
The churches in Asia greet you.
Aquila and Priscilla greet youheartily in the Lord, and the
church that is in their house,all the brethren greet you,
greet one another with a holykiss.
(42:11):
The so this the salutation withmy own hand, Paul's.
So Paul didn't literally writethis note.
He had he like dictated it.
Someone else wrote it for him,but he literally wrote his name
at the end of it with his messyhandwriting.
He said, Paul's.
Then he says, If anyone does notlove the Lord Jesus Christ, let
him be accursed.
(42:31):
O Lord, come.
The grace of our Lord JesusChrist be with you.
My love be with you all inChrist Jesus.
Amen.
So he's like, let everyone whodoesn't love Jesus be accursed.
You're like, whoa, that's prettyaggressive, Paul.
Well, what he means is that yes,loving Jesus is the point of
life.
And if you don't love Jesus, ifyou don't have a love
(42:54):
relationship with Jesus,relationship, relationship, not
religion, relationship, yourlife will be cursed.
You will have a curse on yourlife because he is the source of
all blessing.
Jesus is the source of allblessing.
Everything in your life that'sgood is from him, and he works
everything that's bad out foryour good by his grace, by your
(43:14):
love.
So believe the gospel, myfriends.
Receive it, enjoy it, and it'sfree.
His gospel is free, his grace isfree.
Being a member of the church isfree.
There is no tax.
(43:46):
But if you are not 100% surethat you are forgiven of all
your sins, that you have a rightrelationship with God, that you
have been forgiven and adoptedas a child of God, right now is
a moment where you can say, Ibelieve that Jesus was God, died
on the cross for me, was asacrifice for my sin on the
(44:09):
cross, and rose again, provingthat he was God.
You can believe that today.
And so, Father, we now all pray,we close our eyes, and Lord,
it's enough man talking.
We want to hear the voice of Godin our hearts.
We want to hear your word spokento our hearts.
(44:29):
Lord, forgive us for all thetimes where we listened to men,
all the times we depended on ourown works, our own giving for
our uh confidence in ourrelationship with you, God.
And Lord, we renounce everythingthat we've ever depended on,
except for the grace and mercyof Jesus Christ.
You give us everything.
(44:50):
You give us grace to abound inevery good work.
You give us all the money we'veever had, Lord, and we give the
most precious treasure we have.
We give it to you.
And that right now, today, isour hearts.
Lord, we love our spouse withour hearts.
(45:11):
We love our children, ourfamilies with our hearts, and
that's very precious to us.
But Father, we give our full andour complete hearts without
reservation to you.
We renounce every other God, werenounce every other love.
You are our only love, andJesus, we will be a church that
loves you with all our heart,soul, mind, and strength because
(45:34):
your spirit in us makes us ableand willing to do that.
Thank you for saving us, Jesus.
Thank you for setting us free.
Thank you for adopting us andbeing a Father that loves us
with all your heart, all yoursoul, and all your strength.
And you sent Jesus to us and wereceive him, we praise him, we
(45:58):
love him.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
First Corinthians.
Thanks, Knox.
Appreciate that.
First Corinthians chapter 16.
We're gonna we're gonna getthrough this whole book, this
whole chapter, the and we'regonna finish the book today.
So look, 31 weeks it took us toget through the book of First
Corinthians.
So give yourself a hand, a paton the back.
You guys did great studying theword.
(01:15):
It's building up, you know, aknowledge of God's word and his
will in your life.
So I'm really proud of you guys.
It's so vital that as a churchwe continue to study the word
verse by verse so that we canknow it and be able to live
according to it.
So today's sermon is called WhoPut the Giving in Thanksgiving?
(01:36):
Welcome to our sermon.
Two men crashed a plane on adeserted island in the middle of
nowhere, in the middle of thePacific Ocean.
And they both survived thecrash.
And just after this terribleordeal, one of the men walks
over the entire island and comesto the conclusion that there's
no food, no water, they're gonnadie.
(02:00):
And he goes back to where hisfriend is to explain their
predicament.
He says, I've searched thisentire island and haven't found
any food or water, and we aredefinitely gonna die.
The power is back.
How's the streaming?
Are we still streaming?
(02:23):
Sure.
Okay.
So it's a good thing we're justin the joke.
Okay.
The other man says, Don't worry,don't worry about being crash
land.
I make a hundred thousanddollars a week.
Wow.
We're gonna be fine.
(02:43):
Yeah, but don't you see there'sno food, there's no water.
We're your hundred thousand backon the mainland, that's gonna do
nothing for us.
Like I said, man, I make ahundred grand a week.
Don't worry, we'll be home in aday, two days max.
Why in God's name do you keepsaying that your money is gonna
(03:06):
make a difference way the heckout here in the middle of
nowhere?
How can that matter?
And the guy just sits backagainst the wrecked plane and he
puts his hands behind his headand he just takes a deep breath
and he says with a smile, youknow, every Sunday I give 10%,
my tithe, I give it to thechurch in the offering plate,
(03:30):
like the good book instructs meto do.
My pastor's gonna find me.
(03:51):
We're gonna talk, we let's justget into our text here.
Okay, so we get into 1Corinthians chapter 16.
It says, Now concerning thecollection for the saints, as I
have given orders to thechurches in Galatia, so you also
must do.
On the first day of the week,let each one of you lay
something aside, storing it upas he may prosper, that there
(04:12):
may be no collections when Icome.
Okay, so we we have to talkabout giving today, not because
I chose to or I want to or weneed it, but because we've
reached the place in the Biblewhere it talks about it and it
teaches us about it.
And it actually is gonna teachus uh so much.
You're gonna feel so free aftertoday, I promise you.
(04:34):
This is not gonna be like thetraditional way that you've ever
been taught about giving in yourlife.
I promise you.
How many of you have been taughtthat you should give 10% of
everything you make to the Lord?
Okay, I was also, I was taught.
Let's start by saying that thatwas called the tithe, right?
(04:57):
And that was in the OldTestament, there was a command
to the nation of Israel.
That was part of the law.
And when Jesus came, that lawwas still intact, okay?
So the uh the he came to thenation of Israel, and so he
talked a lot about their lawsand what they were going, uh
what they were under and howthey were relating to God at
(05:19):
that point.
But then Jesus died and he roseagain for our sins, and and he
changed everything.
And one of the things he changedis that we have all been
completely set free from thelaw, and the law includes the
law to tithe, it includes alllaws, even the law to honor the
(05:44):
Sabbath.
Like, did you sit at homeyesterday on Saturday and do
nothing all day because Godcommanded you?
No, you probably went out anddid stuff, right?
I know I did.
I swam in my pool, we went tothe beach, it was it was a great
day.
Um, and the and tithing was isone of the laws, okay?
So we have to understand this,and we're all gonna learn today
(06:05):
that that giving is nevermeasured by 10% or numbers at
all, but by the heart.
Okay, we're gonna we're gonnalearn this today.
The Spirit He floods us, hefloods us with blessings and
(06:26):
joy, and you have theopportunity to release a little
bit of the grace that God hasgiven you when you cheerfully
give to worthy causes.
Okay?
That's what we're gonna learntoday.
So the New Testament makes itvery, very clear that the the
church, all us believers,everyone who believes in Jesus,
(06:49):
we are free from all OldTestament laws, including the
requirement to tithe 10% of allthe money that you make.
Here's some key passages I wannaI wanna show, I want to prove to
you, okay?
So, what I'm saying is thatthere is no command for
Christians to tithe.
There is no command for you togive 10% of your money.
(07:09):
I'm gonna say it third time forthe people in the back.
There is no command.
You do not have to tithe.
Are you do you understand?
You are free.
It is a hundred percent you arefree.
And this is not even debatable.
Good Google it.
Is there any commands in the NewTestament to tithe?
No, there is not.
Well, then why have I heard it?
Hmm, that's it.
(07:31):
That's a really good question.
You should probably maybe talkto your pastor about that.
But let's look at thesescriptures so that we hear from
the Word of God what the truthis.
It says, For sin shall no longerbe your master, for you are not
under the law, but under grace.
So that verse emphasizes howChristians are not bound by the
law, but we live under the graceof God.
(07:54):
And grace changes our hearts tobe like God.
And guess what?
He is selfless and he isgenerous.
And these are clues to what weare gonna be like when we're
under grace.
You're gonna be greedy and keepall your money to yourself.
No?
(08:14):
That's right.
Boldly say it.
No, that's right.
Here's another verse, Galatians5, 18.
But if you are led by theSpirit, you're not under the
law.
Tithing was a law, but if we'reled by the Spirit, we're not
under the law.
Paul explains that if you're ledby the Spirit, you're not
(08:35):
subject to any of therequirements of the law.
Hebrews chapter 7, verse 18.
The former regulation, that'sthe law, is set aside because of
its weak and useless or weaknessand unprofitableness.
And there's a better hopethrough which we draw near to
(08:57):
God.
That means that the law was setaside or done away with because
there's a better way to be agood person, and it's called the
Holy Spirit or grace.
God is going to inspire us byhis love and by his spirit
inside us, he's gonna inspire usin a totally different way than
(09:21):
you should give 10%.
That is not the way God is goingto inspire you because that's
law.
Anytime you see, I you say, Ihave to do this, you have put
yourself under the law.
When you say, I want and I'mpassionate to do something, that
is being led by the Spirit orgrace.
(09:44):
The last one we'll look at here,Colossians 2.14, having canceled
the charge of our legal, andwell, let me just read it in
this version, having wiped outthe handwriting of requirements
that was against us, which wascontrary to us, he's taken it
out of the way, having nailed itto the cross.
Have anyone, have has anyone inhere given 10% of all that you
(10:09):
have ever made faithfully yourentire life?
No?
Well, great.
According to the law, we're allgoing to hell.
See, see, see, when we want tolive under the law, it's not
measuring how good you are.
(10:29):
It's measuring how short youfall from perfection.
That's the law.
The law is not a message ofhope.
It's not this is what you shouldbe, it's this is what perfection
is, and this is how far awayfrom it we are.
So no one has tithed 10%.
(10:51):
In fact, there's been a lot ofteaching about tithing since the
church started, I think.
And especially the past hundredyears, there's come a lot of
preachers in this philosophythat if you tithe, God will
bless you.
If you tithe, it's gonna, it'sgonna, that 10% is gonna earn
(11:12):
you God's blessings.
Hmm.
But what we're not seeing inthis is that nobody tithes.
And they've done, Barna has donesurveys, and guess how many
people die tithe 10%?
Less than one-tenth of onepercent of all Christians
actually tithe 1%, 10%.
(11:34):
If if you take an average of howmuch Christians tithe all around
the world, it would average 3%.
That's about how much peoplegive.
So I said I propose, and I thinkthe Bible teaches, we scrap the
entire system.
We are never gonna ask people totithe.
We don't.
Have you ever heard us ask youfor money at this church?
(11:56):
Never.
And guess what?
We never will.
We never, ever, ever will.
And I have been a pastor for uhwe did we did 10 years at my
previous church and served inministry 10 years before that.
Never in any church I haveserved at have we ever asked for
money.
And we never will.
And guess what?
(12:17):
I've eaten every day of my lifetoo much.
God has provided generously.
Why?
Because he loves me and he hasgrace upon me, and I have been
completely dependent upon himfor my salary, my money, for
since I was 21 years old.
And God has provided every stepof the way without ever asking
(12:42):
for money.
And so we will continue to dothat.
If we scrap the whole system ofasking people to give 10% and
teach them instead, God lovesyou, God cherishes you, God has
been so generous to you.
I'm gonna skip ahead to the endof the sermon right now.
Go spend some time with him andsee what he puts on your heart.
(13:07):
I think we're gonna come out wayahead, and God's kingdom is
gonna advance because we're notjust gonna be getting money,
we're gonna be getting peoplewho are now connected to a
loving father, and they're gonnabe offering not just their
money, but their time and theirhearts.
And like like Nate, uh Natecomes in and sings.
I'm just gonna use you as anexample.
(13:28):
Nate, you come in and sing andoffer your uh the world has to
pay him so much money to sing.
The world had though they haveto pay, you don't pay for you
don't work for pennies, right?
They pay you the big bucks,right?
And we d someone tried to payyou one time and it was you you
(13:52):
ripped up the check and threw itin their face and called them a
dirty name.
And um, I I just love that hehas it in his heart that he
wants to give his talent and histime to Jesus.
And guess what?
He has never just blown me off.
He's never, I'm just talkingabout you probably making you
feel a little bad, but he's donea wonderful job.
(14:13):
Thank you, Nate, for that.
We appreciate that.
And it and it shows that theSpirit of God is working in his
heart.
I got I'm getting so off on atangent here, I need to get back
to my notes.
All right, these passages thatwe read, they they all tell us
that Christians are not underthe law, even the law to tithe.
(14:33):
Okay, you are absolutely free.
Um, instead, we're invited tolive by the spirit.
And that's what we talk aboutevery week.
And we have to know how to liveby the spirit.
You gotta know how to live bythe spirit.
It's easy to know how to live bythe law.
It says this, I do this.
But guess what?
You suck at doing that.
I suck at doing that.
We can't do it.
(14:54):
So we have to have a differentway to live, which is called
living by the spirit, where wegive freely and joyfully from
the heart as an expression ofour thankfulness and gratitude
to God, which is how Nate leadsus in worship, which I am very
grateful for.
But won't God owe me and blessme if I give him 10%?
Is my life gonna be better?
(15:16):
Hmm, no.
No, you are not more saved ifyou give a special amount to the
Lord.
Did you know that?
There's no different place inheaven for Christians who tithed
close to 10%, or one week tithed10%.
(15:37):
You're not more loved or lessloved because of your
performance.
That's what the awesome thing isabout being a child of God.
You are not less loved becauseyou fail to measure up to
something.
You are loved, period.
You are adopted, period, byfaith in Christ.
(15:58):
And so it's never yourperformance.
That it said was done away with.
It was nailed to the cross.
Our lack of performance, ourfailure to measure up to his Ten
Commandments and all therequirements in the Old
Testament, all of that failurewas nailed to the cross.
And what do we get in exchange?
Grace and love and acceptance.
(16:21):
He he treats us as if you giveeverything to him.
He treats us as if you wereJesus.
You can never earn grace becauseit's always a free gift.
And your place and position withGod is always free.
It doesn't matter what I do.
(16:43):
You're saying it doesn't matterwhat I do?
Are you saying it doesn't matterwhat I do?
No, it actually matters morewhat you do now.
Because everything you do as aChristian is a reflection of
your identity that God has givenyou by his grace.
(17:06):
Everything you do is areflection of his gift he's
given to you.
So if you take, you have beenforgiven, and if you take that
forgiveness and you parade itaround this city and sin as much
as you want, that is a poorreflection of the grace that's
(17:26):
been given you.
That doesn't look like God.
Your actions do not line up withthe grace that has been given to
you.
And that's why your life mattersmore now.
What you do matters more now.
So we're gonna look at 2Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6
through 8.
He says, But I say this I say,he who sows sparingly will also
(17:48):
reap sparingly, he who sowsbountily will also reap
bountifully.
So let each one give as hepurposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity, forGod loves a cheerful giver, and
God is able to make all graceabound towards you, that you
always, having all sufficiencyin all things, may have an
(18:11):
abundance for every good work.
So let's break that down.
He says, He who sows sparinglywill reap sparingly.
He who sows bountifully willreap bountifully.
Does this mean that God willreturn to you a financial
blessing every time you make afinancial gift?
(18:32):
Is that what it means?
No.
I like that answer.
When you give, what does itpromise?
What is this promise?
He promises you that you will berewarded, but it may be
spiritual blessings, it may beheavenly blessings.
(18:55):
Did you know you can't take yourbank account to heaven?
Did you know that?
When you die, it's gonna go tosomebody that you probably don't
even like anymore.
But you can send it ahead.
God says anything you give withthe by the Spirit will be sent
(19:19):
ahead and you will reap.
Remember last week we talkedabout our bodies and how it's
sowed and then it becomessomething glorious?
Well, the same happens with yourlife, through everything you do,
including your giving.
If you sow it, God will blessyou.
But it he doesn't promise thatyou're gonna get rich.
I want you to understand, thisis not the path to get rich.
(19:42):
That is false teaching.
It is not true in the Bible.
Giving does not mean you willget rich.
God will not, that's not, it mayhappen.
He loves to, he loves to blessyou.
He may make you rich justbecause he loves you.
It might happen.
He does, but if he makes youpoor, that doesn't mean he
(20:03):
doesn't love you.
It means he's chosen you torepresent him in even a more
special way than those who arerich.
Ah, there's so much here that wecould talk about.
Any rewards God gives you inthis life are just temporary.
Why?
Because this life is temporary.
So if God just made you richwhen you gave to him, that would
be a junkie reward and comparedto if he gave it to you in
(20:27):
heaven.
It's like, do you want thecookie now or the pack of
cookies later?
Any kid knows how to make a gooddeal, right?
So storing up treasures inheaven is a valid way to think
about your life, your resources,and everything.
(20:47):
So the tithe.
Literally the word tithe means10%.
So I don't even like using theword tithe when we're talking to
Christians, uh, because it putsa number on it, right?
And tithing is not a requirementfor Christians.
So where does the idea comefrom?
Well, it comes from the OldTestament and the Old Covenant,
(21:08):
and God took it very seriously.
Look at what he says in Malachichapter three.
He says, Will a man rob God, yetyou are robbing me?
So he's talking to the nation ofIsrael, and he says, How have we
robbed you?
In in tithes and contributions.
You are cursed with a curse, foryou're robbing me uh and the
whole nation of you.
Bring in the full tithe and thestorehouses, and he goes on and
(21:29):
says, It's it's it's robbingGod.
So they were required to tithe,the entire nation.
And uh we got to keep that incontext that it was in the name
in the old covenant, in the law.
And so in Leviticus 27, 30, hesays, Every tithe of the land,
whether of the sea or the landor the fruits or the trees, is
(21:50):
the Lord's, and it is holy tothe Lord.
And then Jesus comes on thescene.
And you're like, Well, didn'tJesus talk about tithing?
Absolutely, he did.
Two Jewish people who weretithing, because they thought
that tithing made themrighteous, because they did a
good job tithing, God had toaccept them.
Okay?
But that's not what God waslooking for.
God was looking for theirhearts, and God wanted to give
(22:12):
them grace, and their beingunder this law of tithing was
keeping them from receivinggrace.
So Jesus said, Woe to you,scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you tithe mintand dill and cumin, and you've
neglected neglected theweightier matters of the law.
So that means tithing was amatter of the law.
We've been freed from the law.
Okay.
Justice and mercy andfaithfulness are more important
(22:34):
to God.
These you ought to have donewithout neglecting the other.
So notice Jesus, he's reprovingthem not for tithing.
He says, Fine that you'retithing, that was great.
But you're jerks.
You're you're terrible people.
You don't care about anybody.
Why?
Because they didn't have theheart of their father.
Uh, but they thought they wereright with God because they were
(22:55):
giving 10%.
That's the problem with tithing.
Most, not most, some pastorswill tell you, hey, if you want
to be right with God, get startby giving your 10%.
I'm telling you, that is thelast step in fruitfulness in the
(23:18):
life of a Christian.
Having a generous heart is notwhere you start, it's the end
result.
So I'm never gonna tell you, youknow, hey, let's get started.
You're coming to church.
Well, let's get your bankaccount signed up here.
Absolutely not.
Okay, we're not after yourmoney, we're after your heart.
Because Jesus is after yourheart.
He knows that when he gets ahold of your heart, you'll come
(23:41):
every week and lead worship andnever do, never say a word about
it.
Just lovingly serve.
You'll come and you'll vacuum,you'll you'll serve, you'll
you'll love on people, you'll becalling people up because he's
got your heart with his love andyou just love other people.
That's what we're after.
That's the real gospel.
(24:02):
Um, so this requirement totithe, like we said, is not
repeated in the New Testament.
Believers are not under this lawin any way.
Uh, it's never repeated.
So, does that mean thatChristians, we are not expected
to give?
(24:22):
Not at all.
Actually, Jesus taught us manyways that we can give.
So let's talk about that now.
First, Jesus taught us to giveto those who are in need, to
notice those who are in need andto give to those who are in
need.
He told us a parable in Matthew25 said, and he says, if you
don't do this, he says, it'spossible that you don't even
(24:46):
know me.
Notice, he doesn't say you'renot, you you didn't follow the
rules, and so you're going tohell because you didn't follow
the rules.
He says, if you don't give topeople, if your heart isn't
moved by the need of others, hesays, you gotta ask yourself if
you even know me.
That's what it's about.
A second way you can give is youcan support your local church,
(25:09):
your local friendly church.
It's great to have a churchthat's committed to worship God
in truth and teach his word andsend out and raise up and train
up new pastors who will also goout and build God's kingdom.
And that's that's uh a great wayto invest your um generosity in
(25:32):
the kingdom.
When you find a church likethat, support it as much as you
can.
And as much as you can rejoicein.
The third way, another way thatyou can give, is by supporting
missions and ministries andmissionaries.
They are living by faith.
They don't have, they're notmaking money with a corporate
(25:54):
paycheck.
They are living by faith.
Missions is an incredible waythat we can send our generosity
out into God's kingdom workingworld.
So next week we're gonna behaving a missions week where
we're gonna talk about differentways that we as a church are
gonna work uh at uh helping outmissionaries and different
(26:18):
ministries.
So come next week and we'll talkabout that.
We're gonna um, but that'sthat's great.
Now I want to talk about fourprinciples, not rules, but
principles that you can keep inmind when you think about giving
that will help you.
And they're not gonna be 10%.
Okay, I'm never gonna say that.
(26:40):
These are not like religiousrules, they're just principles
you can keep in mind.
I want to look again, I'm gonnaread again the text in 2
Corinthians 9.
This I say, he who sowssparingly will reap sparingly,
he who sows bountifully willreap bountifully.
So let each one purpose in hisheart, give as he purposes in
his heart, not grudgingly or ofnecessity, for God loves a
(27:02):
cheerful giver.
And God is able to make allgrace abound towards you, that
you always having allsufficiency in all things may
have an abundance for every goodwork.
All right, principle number one,freedom and cheerfulness.
Give what you have decided inyour heart.
(27:23):
Give what you have decided inyour heart, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God lovesa cheerful giver.
Okay, so this means you have to,have to, have to be joyful.
In other words, if you give andyou're not joyful, it doesn't
count.
If you give because God becausesomeone convinced you to give,
(27:45):
that doesn't count.
The only thing that counts is ifyou're like, yes, I'm so excited
to partner with what God isdoing here.
That is the only way that itworks.
Why does God do that?
Because it's safe for you.
You can never go back and say,well, that pastor sure made me
emotionally feel like I shoulddo this.
(28:07):
Or he he told a sob story abouthe's not gonna get paid and his
little kids aren't gonna eatbecause the church isn't
supporting him.
That is not the way to make thishappen.
You have to give cheerfully anduh it you are free to give.
Your giving doesn't matter ifit's motivated by any other
(28:30):
purpose except pure love andGod's grace in your life.
All right, the second one we'regonna look at is grace and
generosity.
Recognize that everything youhave is a gift from God.
Do you believe that?
Everything you have was given toyou by God.
(28:51):
That's humility, and God givesgrace to the humble.
But pride says, wait a second, Iworked hard for everything I
got.
That's pride, and God says heresists the proud.
So you're not gonna experiencethis oneness and closeness with
God if you have a philosophythat says, I earned my place in
(29:12):
life.
I earned this life, I earnedthis marriage, and I'm gonna
keep it, and no one's gonna takeit from me.
That heart isn't God's heart,and we can't walk in that heart
and know that He, know what Hisheart is.
And the the only thing aboutthis life that really matters is
connecting with your father'sheart, which I'm gonna show you
(29:35):
how to do.
The third thing is purpose andlove.
You gotta let your giving bemotivated by love and a desire
to support the work of thegospel and help those who are in
need.
So when we give, it's aboutparticipating in God's mission
and expressing God's love toothers.
(29:56):
It's never to get credit for it,which is why we don't pass an
offering plate.
So you can be like, you seethese dollar bills, I'm coming
in here.
I'm like, why would you ever dothat?
And in my opinion, I'm like, whywould you ever pass the so that
people can get attention?
We have a we have a secret placewhere you can give.
And if you want to find it, goodluck.
(30:20):
Because it needs to be done withpurpose and love.
And fourth, most importantly, nopressure, no guilt.
There is no specific percentage,there is no specific
requirement.
You are free to give as you areled.
Whether that's more or less thanthe traditional 10%, it does not
(30:44):
matter at all.
Focus on the heart and thewillingness to give what God
puts in your heart.
Here's the problem.
We're scared.
We are scared.
We're scared because we reallydon't think God loves us.
(31:07):
And so when we get something,we're fearful to give it away
because we forget that God gaveus that in the first place and
he can give more and he willgive more.
He is a generous father.
He doesn't ask you to give todestroy you.
He's asking you to give so thatyou can discover his
(31:28):
faithfulness and his love.
That he is truly your father.
I've heard it said that you cannever outgive God.
And I believe that that is true.
God will provide for your needs.
Those are the promises God hasmade.
But when we feel the pressure oflike, well, I got all this and I
(31:51):
got that, God doesn't say togive beyond your means.
He doesn't say, hey, I got thisbill coming up, but if I give,
then I can't pay my bill.
God never says that.
He says, pay your bills.
Pay your bills first.
Now, maybe you were stupid andsigned up for a bill you
shouldn't be getting.
Ferrari didn't, he didn't needto have a Ferrari.
(32:13):
So that's on you.
So yeah, you might get infinancial discipline because you
spent too much.
And you should talk through thatand you should confess that to
the Lord as a sin.
But his heart is to build you upand to teach you to be content
with what you have and thengenerously give to God's
(32:34):
purposes after that.
There's never pressure or guilt.
Okay.
Don't give at the expense ofyour own family.
If your family is like, well,God's told me to give everything
and my kids are going to starvethis week, so bye.
That's not God's will.
In fact, Paul says, if you don'tprovide for the needs of your
family, you're worse than anunbeliever.
(32:56):
So always take care.
If you're not going to be ableto pay your bills or pay your
rent, that's the church is goingto maybe be pot be able to help
you or people.
God might use people'sgenerosity to help you.
And then once you're able, youcan tithe what God puts on your
tithe.
Oh, I'm so terrible.
Give what God puts on yourheart.
See how tradition is just theworst?
(33:18):
Okay.
All right, back to our text.
You're like, you're gonna finishthis entire chapter.
We've only gone through oneverse.
Check it out.
Concerning the collection of thesaints, I've given orders to the
Church of Galatia, so you alsomust do on the first day of the
week, let each one of you layaside something, storing up as
(33:41):
he may prosper, that there be nocollections when I come.
So let's just look at a couplethings in this.
Let each one of you, so who'ssupposed to give?
He says, each person, not justthe rich people, not just the
poor people, not just thespiritual people.
Paul wanted all to give becauseevery Christian should be a
giver.
Why?
Because God is a giver and weshare in his identity.
(34:04):
So it doesn't matter how much.
He says, as you purpose in yourown heart.
But he says, each person,there's just something that
we're sharing in the identitythat God has given you.
You're letting his love leak outof you when you choose to
secretly give.
But who's gonna see if Isecretly give?
(34:27):
That's the point.
Your father sees.
And it makes him smile whenyou're like, Father, I'm doing
this for you.
Not for any man, not for anyreason, but I do it for you.
He says, lay something aside,storing it up.
So this has the idea of comingto church with your gift already
prepared.
Do not give because the pastortells you to give.
(34:48):
Never do listen to a pastor likethat.
You should always go at home toyour seeker place, seek God
about your gift at home.
Prepare it at home.
Whether you do it online or youprepare it, however, you prepare
it.
This makes one thing important.
(35:10):
You gotta seek God.
You have to seek the Lord.
That's what I'm teaching youtoday.
Seek God.
He wants to talk with you aboutthis, he wants to meet with you.
If you just say, Well, I'm justgonna give 10%, we're good,
right, Jesus?
Jesus is like, no, I don't wantyou to give 10%.
(35:31):
You're free from that rule.
Do not do that.
Do not do that.
When we seek the Lord, it helpsyou resist the manipulation to
give.
If I were a terrible pastor, Iwould try to manipulate you,
saying, Oh, if we had thismoney, if we did this, we could
do that, we could do the other.
(35:51):
Oh, God has been really lettingus down, and he needs you to
really dig deep and reallysacrifice.
All of that is manipulation.
Don't listen to it.
Fire me if I say that.
And then he says, That there beno collections when I come.
That's cool.
Paul didn't want to manipulateanyone, he wanted their giving
(36:13):
to be from the heart as theyheard from God themselves.
You know how exciting it is tohear God's voice?
Go ask him, Lord, what should Ido and what should I give?
What can I do for your kingdom?
And I guarantee you, as you openthe Bible and you start reading,
(36:34):
God will speak to you.
Wow, that's amazing.
I'm not gonna tell you.
Your spouse isn't gonna tellyou.
God will speak to you.
And it is the most excitingthing in the world to have God
speak directly to you.
Then you and him have like thissecret thing.
Oh, God told me to do this.
(36:54):
And I'm gonna do it.
And I know it makes him smilewhen I obey him in that way.
What do we see here?
That when you when you aregiving, it's an amazing
opportunity to seek the heart ofyour father and hear his voice.
And he promises everyone whoseeks him with their whole heart
will find him.
(37:15):
Now, if you seek him, God, wherewould you like my five dollars
to go?
And you know that maybe youshould do more or less, doesn't
matter.
But if you put a limit on it orif you put a number on it,
that's not seeking him with thewhole heart.
That's seeking him with thispart of your heart or that part
of you.
He wants your whole heart.
(37:36):
He promises you that it's gonna,he's gonna fill it with love.
He's already filled your heartwith love.
So to discover it, openeverything to him and put
everything on the table and say,My whole life is yours.
My whole life belongs to you,Jesus.
You will find when you seek himthat he's way better than you
(37:57):
think.
He's way more capable ofchanging your mind than you
think.
He's way more powerful andloving than you think.
But he will wait until you getalone with him to reveal that
part of him to you.
He'll wait for you to reallyunderstand it and see it and
experience it.
He'll wait till you say, I'mgonna seek you, Father.
(38:19):
I'm gonna open up my word andI'm gonna get on my knees and
I'm gonna seek you.
Do not give to this church orany ministry until you do that.
Do not give your money, yourhard-earned money anywhere until
you seek the Lord's heart.
(38:39):
I do not want a line of peopleat our secret giving place
today.
I want you to go home today andtalk to your father about it.
And then do whatever God puts onyour heart.
Then he says, Uh gosh.
I'm gonna skip this part here.
(38:59):
All right, let's finish thebook.
When it when I come, whomeveryou approve by your letters, I
will send to bear your gift toJerusalem.
But if if it is fitting that Iall go also, then they will go
with me.
Now I will come to you when Ipass through Macedonia, for I am
passing through Macedonia, andit may be when I remained, or
(39:21):
even spend the winter with you,that you may send me on my
journey wherever I go.
Look at Paul was a winterMacedonian.
It's biblical to spend yourwinter someplace warm.
Right, Dad?
(39:42):
All right, for I do not wish youuh to see you now on the on the
way, but I hope to stay a whilewith you, if the Lord permits.
But I will tarry in Ephesusuntil Pentecost, for a great and
an effective door has opened tome, and there are many
adversaries.
If Timothy comes, see that hemay be with you without fear,
(40:03):
for he does the work of the Lordas I also do.
Therefore, let no one despisehim, but send him on his journey
in peace, that he may come tome, for I am waiting for him
with the brethren.
Now concerning our brotherApollos, I strongly urged him to
come to you with the brethren,but he was quite unwilling to
(40:24):
come at this time.
However, he will come when it isa convenient time.
Watch, stand fast in the faith,be brave, be strong, and let all
you do be done with love.
So we called our entire study of1 Corinthians Grace Glasses.
Having grace glasses, whenyou're seeing the world through
(40:45):
the philosophy of grace, thetheology of the new covenant, it
has gonna have a real effect onthe on your life.
You're gonna be able to, you'regonna be watching because you're
gonna be able to see rightly.
You're gonna be able to standfast in the faith.
You're gonna be brave, you'regonna be strong, you're gonna be
able to let all that you do bedone with love.
(41:06):
Why?
Because this is your newidentity in Christ.
You are brave, you are strong inChrist.
And that's that's uh what that'sabout there.
So he's kind of finishing up andhe says, I urge you, brethren,
you should know the household ofStephanus, that it is the first
fruits of Achaea, and that theyhave devoted themselves to the
(41:28):
ministry of the saints, that yousub also submit to such as to
and to everyone who works andlabors with us.
I'm glad about the coming ofStephanus, Fortunatus, and
Achaeus, for they, what waslacking on your part, they
supplied.
These were various teachers andpastors that Paul was working
with, and he's just saying,they're doing a great job.
(41:50):
Thank you for listening to themand supporting them.
For they refreshed my spirit andyours.
Therefore, acknowledge such men.
The churches in Asia greet you.
Aquila and Priscilla greet youheartily in the Lord, and the
church that is in their house,all the brethren greet you,
greet one another with a holykiss.
(42:11):
The so this the salutation withmy own hand, Paul's.
So Paul didn't literally writethis note.
He had he like dictated it.
Someone else wrote it for him,but he literally wrote his name
at the end of it with his messyhandwriting.
He said, Paul's.
Then he says, If anyone does notlove the Lord Jesus Christ, let
him be accursed.
(42:31):
O Lord, come.
The grace of our Lord JesusChrist be with you.
My love be with you all inChrist Jesus.
Amen.
So he's like, let everyone whodoesn't love Jesus be accursed.
You're like, whoa, that's prettyaggressive, Paul.
Well, what he means is that yes,loving Jesus is the point of
life.
And if you don't love Jesus, ifyou don't have a love
(42:54):
relationship with Jesus,relationship, relationship, not
religion, relationship, yourlife will be cursed.
You will have a curse on yourlife because he is the source of
all blessing.
Jesus is the source of allblessing.
Everything in your life that'sgood is from him, and he works
everything that's bad out foryour good by his grace, by your
(43:14):
love.
So believe the gospel, myfriends.
Receive it, enjoy it, and it'sfree.
His gospel is free, his grace isfree.
Being a member of the church isfree.
There is no tax.
(43:46):
But if you are not 100% surethat you are forgiven of all
your sins, that you have a rightrelationship with God, that you
have been forgiven and adoptedas a child of God, right now is
a moment where you can say, Ibelieve that Jesus was God, died
on the cross for me, was asacrifice for my sin on the
(44:09):
cross, and rose again, provingthat he was God.
You can believe that today.
And so, Father, we now all pray,we close our eyes, and Lord,
it's enough man talking.
We want to hear the voice of Godin our hearts.
We want to hear your word spokento our hearts.
(44:29):
Lord, forgive us for all thetimes where we listened to men,
all the times we depended on ourown works, our own giving for
our uh confidence in ourrelationship with you, God.
And Lord, we renounce everythingthat we've ever depended on,
except for the grace and mercyof Jesus Christ.
You give us everything.
(44:50):
You give us grace to abound inevery good work.
You give us all the money we'veever had, Lord, and we give the
most precious treasure we have.
We give it to you.
And that right now, today, isour hearts.
Lord, we love our spouse withour hearts.
(45:11):
We love our children, ourfamilies with our hearts, and
that's very precious to us.
But Father, we give our full andour complete hearts without
reservation to you.
We renounce every other God, werenounce every other love.
You are our only love, andJesus, we will be a church that
loves you with all our heart,soul, mind, and strength because
(45:34):
your spirit in us makes us ableand willing to do that.
Thank you for saving us, Jesus.
Thank you for setting us free.
Thank you for adopting us andbeing a Father that loves us
with all your heart, all yoursoul, and all your strength.
And you sent Jesus to us and wereceive him, we praise him, we
(45:58):
love him.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
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