THE TITHE MATTERS TO GOD!
Reading Mark 12v41-44.

Introduction:

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." Mark 12v41-44.

What do you suppose your reaction would be today if I announced we had decided to change the way in which we collected the offerings? Instead of using the offering boxes, we asked each one to come to the front of the building and place your offering in a treasure chest. As you did so, I would be standing there taking a long hard look at what you placed, by way of gift to the Lord, on that plate. Not only that, but as you gave your offering I would evaluate your giving in terms of your income.

I have a feeling quite a number of us would think it to be an invasion of our privacy. Indeed some might even be highly offended. But we shouldn’t. You see that is exactly what Jesus did. He waited around the Temple treasury and had a good look at what folks placed in the offering. This is an amazing insight into how important tithing was to Jesus. He not only saw who was doing the giving, but how much they were giving. And furthermore, He evaluates their offering in terms of the gifts proportioned to that person’s income.

Why was Jesus doing that? Because He is interested in what we give.

1. God cares about the attention we give to giving!

2. God cares about the amount we are giving!

3. God cares about the attitude with which we are giving!

There’s an old saying; "Money talks." Mostly it says to many people, "Goodbye." And I am sure there is some truth in that statement, especially when we are settling our monthly accounts.

This reminds me of a little card my daughter sent me on one occasion.

"Dad, why is there so much month left at the end of the money."

It’s a real truth, money does talk, and it talks in other ways than simply saying "Goodbye." Jesus was interested in people’s tithing because money talks. Money speaks loudly and clearly about us, our relationship with God and what value we place on it. What does money say about us today? If Jesus watched us give our offering, what would his opinion of our giving be?

Now, in this amazing text before us there are some very important principles with respect to giving we should take to heart. As we allow these principles to work out in our own living and giving they will reflect our own love for the Lord in our giving.

God Cares About The Attention We Give To Giving!
Now, because of what Jesus did here, that is. taking note of how and what people gave, it should be obvious to us that God cares about our giving.

What we have seen Jesus doing in this passage of Scripture, God is doing all the time and in every area of our living. He sees all of our giving and He sees all of our living as well. But the reality is, just as Jesus made a deliberate effort to observe the giving habits of this group passing through the Temple, so God is interested in our giving.

God is interested in our giving because he has a plan for our giving.

God’s plan is called tithing. In fact, tithing is giving God’s way.

The Lord established this plan for the benefit of His Kingdom and for the benefit of His people. What we give and how we give is directly linked to our

prosperity in the Lord, both material prosperity and spiritual prosperity.

Therefore, God cares deeply that we follow His plan in this area.

Now, the subject of money is always a thorny one indeed to most Christians. But it ought not so to be. We should be eager to know God’s method for giving and be eager to obey God in this area. You see anyone who is sensitive about following the Lord must take their giving seriously. God certainly does.

Now, let me ask some questions! How do you give? Do you tithe? As the dear Saviour observes our giving today, what is His opinion of that giving?

You see, I believe there are three reasons why some of God’s dear people do not give as they ought.

A. They Fail To Understand The Purpose Of Giving!

The Apostle Paul takes up the subject in 1 Corinthians 16 v1.

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye."

It seems obvious that Paul's readers already knew about giving, he simply opens his statement, "now concerning the collection". Probably the Corinthians had mentioned the subject to Paul when they had written to him, 1Cor.7v1, and to which 1 Corinthians was the reply. The collection was to be for the saints, in particular the saints at Jerusalem, Ch.16v3. You see, the primary purpose of giving, as taught in the New Testament, is for the support of the saints, the church. A Christian's first obligation is to support his fellow believers, individually and collectively. The church's first financial responsibility is to invest in its own life and its own people. (2 Cor.8v1-5. 9v12-15. Phil. 4v14-16)

Certainly that is not the only financial obligation we have. The parable of the Good Samaritan makes it clear that we should minister personally and financially to anyone in need when it’s possible to do so (Luke 10v25-37).

Paul also teaches that we should "do good to all men" (Gal.6v10). but in the same text he continues with, "And especially to those of the household of the faith". This is faith in action!

They Failed To Understand the Principles of Giving!
"Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gathering when I come"

In verse 2 Paul implies a number of principles concerning Christian giving.

Some do not think giving or tithing is for today. Some do not believe giving or tithing is for them personally. But this is a misunderstanding of the principle of giving. Could it be the real reason some object to giving is because they don’t want to give anyway.

I read this recently from Frank Hubbard. "When a person says, 'it ain't the money, but the principle of the thing, you can be sure it’s the money." And he is right. Money talks. It says a great deal about our attitude toward God. Do we really believe we are honouring God by not giving of our substance? Listen beloved, tithing is giving God's way. It is an acknowledgement that all we are, all we have, all we ever hope to be belongs to our Heavenly Father.

They Failed To Understand The Protection In Giving!
"And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem."

Those who give to the Lord's work have a right to expect that their gifts be used correctly and wisely. Paul instructed the Corinthian church to appoint some men who had their respect and trust. "whomever you approve", will be sent with letters of approval to the saints at Jerusalem with your money.

Then there is another side to this protection. To give according to how we have been prospered brings its own protection, physically and spiritually. Ananias and Sapphira tried to cheat God out of, what they said remember, was rightly his. You see, some folks don’t tithe because they refuse to do so, no matter what God says. I trust you are not in that company. If you are, then take a long hard look at your life. If you do, I believe you will see God's judgement is near. God will not be mocked.

Many people are living lives filled with tragic events; events which cause them not only financial suffering, but emotional suffering, physical suffering, and indeed spiritual suffering because they, as Christians, refuse to give God his tithe. They, in the words of Scripture, referring to those who will not tithe, have indeed been "cursed with a curse." They are absolutely living in sinful disobedience.

O.S.Hawkins said, "The principle hindrance to the advancement of the kingdom of God is greed. It is the chief obstacle to heaven-sent revival. It seems that when the back of greed is broken, the human spirit soars into regions of unselfishness. I believe it is safe to say there can be no continuous revival without 'hilarious' giving. And I fear no contradiction: wherever there is 'hilarious' giving, there will soon be revival!" End Quote.

Tony Campolo, sociology professor at Eastern Baptist College and popular speaker, told of his experience one year at a woman's Conference where he was making a major address. At the point in the program when the women were being challenged with a significant financial goal for their mission projects, the chairperson for the day turned to Dr. Campolo and asked him if he would pray for God's blessing upon the women as they considered what they might do to achieve the goal. To her utter surprise, Dr. Campolo came to the podium and graciously declined her invitation. "You already have the resources necessary to complete this mission project right here within this room," He continued. It would be inappropriate to ask God's blessing, when

God has already blessed you with abundance and the means to achieve this goal. The necessary gifts are in your hands. As soon as we take the offering and underwrite this mission project, we will thank God for freeing us to be generous, responsible and accountable stewards that we are called to be as Christian disciples." End Quote.

When the offering was taken, the mission challenge was oversubscribed, and Dr. Campolo led a joyous prayer of thanksgiving for God's abundant blessing and for the faithful stewardship of God's people.

Jesus watched those who gave to the temple treasury because God cares about our giving. He cares about our giving because he cares about our spiritual welfare. Giving is obedience to God. Giving displays our love for the Lord Jesus. If we fail to give God's way, our spirit's dry up. Our fellowship with God is broken, and we move away from the place where God can bless us. On the other hand, if there is faithfulness in our giving, God has promised he will "open the windows of heaven" and bless us with a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.

God Cares About The Amount We Are Giving!
It soon becomes evident from our text, Jesus not only took note of their giving, but he was watching carefully how much they gave.

Jesus is actually sitting at the Temple treasury, carefully taking note of those who are giving and also how much they gave.

Now, this is interesting, at the Temple treasury were thirteen brass treasure chests, into which people placed their offering. These treasure chests were known as "trumpets" simply because they were actually shaped like trumpets. The Mishnah tells us that upon each chest was an inscription indicating what the offerings were for. The money folks dropped in was of course in those days some kind of metal substance which when dropped into the chest made quite a noise. Because of this method of giving, those who wanted to make a show of

their giving could easily do so. And while Jesus disliked and even rebuked such an outward show, He never opposed the giving of large amounts.

God Is Interested In The Percentage We Give!
Our Scripture says that He saw many rich people come along and put in very large sums of money. As they did this, Jesus made no comment at all. He simply looked on. But then came a little lady who was a widow. Our text says she was a "poor" widow. She had in her possession only two coins of very little worth; they were called two "mites" or literally two "copper coins." Actually, they were called "lepta" meaning a "thin one."

They were probably the coin of least value in that dear ladies day, but they did represent approximately a day's wage for her. As well as which, this was the only money she had in her possession; these coins were all she had to live on.

Yet, this dear woman came to the collecting box and dropped both coins into the offering. Do you know what? She gave all she had. Supposing she had given just one of those coins, that would have been a good offering, half of all she possessed! Surely her contribution would have been generous indeed. But no, she did not simply give fifty percent of what she had, she gave all.

And when she did, Jesus could hold back no longer, He had not said anything when the rich gave their large sums of money, he had just looked on. But when this dear widow gave all she had, Jesus became animated.

He turned to his disciples and He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the offerings placed in the treasury. For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on."

Here is a widow with a difference indeed. What she gave was all she had. What she gave cost her. What she gave was a sacrifice, and Jesus commended her for it. I believe this impressed the Saviour more than anything had for some time because it meant that this woman was a true worshipper. Worship that costs us should mark out true Christian stewardship.

We surly cannot think on this situation without remembering David's offering to God by way of atonement for his sin. He needed to buy the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. His attempt to do so brought a delightful gesture from Araunah, he would gladly give his threshing floor and anything thing the King needed as a gift, it would be an honour to do so. David 's reply was, "No. but I will surly buy it from you for a price. For I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing." David was not prepared to give to God by way of worship that which cost him nothing. You see that's what these rich people in the Temple were doing, they were giving large sums of money, but it really cost them nothing. The widow, on the other hand, gave to God that which cost her everything she had.

That's the kind of offering Jesus becomes excited about, what she gave was a greater percentage of what she had. And God has commanded us to give like that!

Malachi 3:10

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Lev 27:30

"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD."

God is speaking here of a precise mathematical term. By tithing, that is giving one tenth of all your income, to the Lord, everyone can give the correct percentage. It matters not whether a person earns five thousand pounds per year or five hundred thousand pounds per year, one tenth of that money

belongs to the Lord. It costs the same for all. No, its not equal gifts, but it is equal sacrifice, and that is what God desires. Tithing is the starting point for Christian stewardship. Speaking with a dear brother on one occasion he said, Pastor, I can't afford to tithe. Another brother standing nearby said, Pastor, I can't afford not to tithe. That's the attitude!

God Is Interested In The Principle Of Our Giving!
I say that because many believe that tithing was introduced as part of the law. Would I surprise you by saying that tithing began over four hundred years before the law was given, when Abraham offered tithes of all.

In fact, some believe that tithing may even go back as far as the Garden of Eden, and Abel may have been the first man to tithe. He offered the firstfruits to the Lord. And that's a very important principle in Scripture.

Romans 11:16

"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches."

All of the fruits belong to the Lord whatever our offering may be. That is why we are to give of the whole, not give after we pay our bills and of what's left over. Supposing I go into the Electricity Board Office of payments tomorrow and say, look I am very sorry, but I don’t have enough money leftover to pay my bill this quarter, please forgive me, I'm sure you will understand! How do you think they would react? What if I go into the Post Office and say, I am so sorry, but I can't pay my phone bill this quarter, please understand! How do you think they would respond? No, we must take of the whole the required amount to pay our bills. God is not the God of what's left over, He is the God of all we have. To give God the firstfruits is a testimony that Christ is Lord and King over all.

Here is a New Testament principle that God cares about and so should we. God has commanded us to bring the whole tithe into His storehouse. The tithe was practised before the law, during the law and after the law in the Church of Jesus Christ. And you know what? Jesus never lowered the standard of that giving. And before we begin to use the argument of legalism, let me ask you something: If your wage packet was short fifty pounds next week and your employer said, "oh, don’t be so legalistic, it's only fifty pounds" how would you react? You would want your employer to be correct in working out your wages, so we should be careful in working out the percentage and the principle of our giving to the Lord.

God Cares About The Attitude With Which We Give!
God cares about the attention we give to giving, He cares about the amount we give and he most certainly cares about the attitude with which we give.

I believe this is evident in the reaction Jesus shows at the widow's gift.

I'm sure there was a stand back in amazement look as the rich threw in to the treasury their large amounts of money. Then this little old lady comes by and as unobtrusively as possible she slips her offering into the Treasury, not a one takes any notice of her very small offering.

No one, that is, except Jesus, He was excited about her giving, she had given all. He was also excited about how she gave, out of a heart of love for God.

You see, and I believe we should take note of this, we ought to check out our attitude to giving. We can give to be noticed of men, especially in these days of covenants and gift aid and cheques. We can give with an indifferent spirit. The attitude of giving to get can prevail.

As believers there are a number of good attitudes that should accompany our giving. Said Francis Quarles, "He that gives all, though but little, gives much because God looks not to the quantity of the gift but to the quality of the giver."

A. One Of Our Attitudes To Giving Should Be Simplicity! Rom. 12v18.

Stuart E. Jacobson has published a book called The Art of Giving. Whether or not one has read the book, the title is intriguing. The Bible suggests that there is an art to giving. "Let him do it with simplicity"

Just do it! As simply and as quietly as it is possible to do so, give!

B. One Of Our Attitudes To Giving Should Be Thankfulness!

One reason we ought to give is because we love the Lord and we are thankful for all God has done for us. Remember, Jesus gave His very life for us. Considering what He gave, how small is the gift of the tithe we are asked to give? Small indeed. God has blessed us beyond what we deserve. Because of all He has done for us, we give out of a heart full of love for Him. We give because we want to — because we are thankful. So our giving, first of all, should be thankful giving.

What is the basis for true thanksgiving? Well, to be thankful, one must be grateful for something, and to someone. It has been said that,

"The atheist’s most embarrassing moment is when he feels profoundly thankful for something, but can’t think of anybody to thank for it." The real basis for giving thanks is found in a Person.

The greatest gift ever given, by the greatest Person, was God’s Son, Jesus. He’s the real basis for all thanksgiving. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! The greatest gift that anyone has ever given to humankind is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

C. One Of Our Attitudes To Giving Should Be Cheerfulness!

Our giving also ought to be cheerful giving. The Bible says that "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). It has been said that while God loves a cheerful giver, He will take money from a scrooge. But that is not His desire. The word for "cheerful" in 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the word from which we get our word "hilarious." God loves a giver who gives joyously, hilariously; not simply because he has to, but because he delights in giving. And that kind of giving brings God’s blessings.

A college friend of mine named Paul received a new automobile from his brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish--"

He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels, "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively asked, "Would you like to ride in my automobile?"

"Oh, yes! I'd love that!"

After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride in a big automobile.

But Paul was wrong again.

"Will you stop right where those two steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then, in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast.

He was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the little lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, "There is more happiness in giving." C. Roy Angell.

That's the kind of giving God just loves!

D. One Of Our Attitudes To Giving Should Be Liberality!

Our giving ought also to be liberal. Now, I am not a liberal. But the Bible teaches that our giving ought to be. Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Also, a pertinent Scripture is 2 Corinthians 9:6: "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." If we are stingy with our sowing, we shall be sadly disappointed with our reaping. The measure we pour out shall be the same measure we get back. If we give stingily, we shall receive little. If we give bountifully, we shall receive in abundance. While you can’t out-give God, many certainly under-give him. It has been said that, "Some give their money as they give their teeth to a dentist." In fact, there is even a disease associated with a lack of giving.

There is a disease which is particularly virulent in this part of the twentieth century. It is called cirrhosis of the giver. It was actually discovered about 34 AD and ran a terminal course in a couple named Annanias and Sapphira (Acts 5). It is an acute condition which renders the patient’s hand immobile, when it attempts to move from the bankbook to the offering plate.

The remedy is to remove the afflicted from the house of God, since it is clinically observable that this condition disappears in alternate environments such as golf courses, or clubs, or restaurants.

This is not Christian giving. The Lord loves a liberal giver.

E. One Of Our Attitudes To Giving Should Be Sacrificially!
Our giving, as was the giving of the early Church, ought to be sacrificial in nature (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-4). They not only gave out of their excess; they gave out of their need. Most people give only out of their surplus. Jesus is not impressed with that kind of giving. But He rejoices in the person who gives over and above the tithe, over and above what is expected by God. The person who lives more simply so that the Lord’s work can prosper is the one who is storing up treasure in Heaven. The story goes that a man died and went to Heaven. There, he made this comment concerning his use of money on earth. He said, "What I spent, I lost; what I saved, I left; and what I gave, I have." We do not lose what we give. We send it on before us that there may be treasure in Heaven.

Many will be surprised at the linkage between giving and God’s blessing. Many have been blessed even in this life by giving. J. L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25 percent of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, "The only investment I ever made which have paid constantly increasing dividends, is the money I have given to the Lord. Pastors will do their greatest service in leading their men to understand the truth of God concerning the stewardship of time and money."

The Tithe Matters To God. Does it matter to us? It Should.