Tithes & Offerings Continued
Covenant Securities
Gtcotr/ws091703
Pre-Message Meditation Material
* What Is A Government’s Responsibility?
> Provide And Maintain Firemen, Policemen, Judges, Prisons and Prison Guards, Schools and School Teachers, Roads, Traffic Control Devices, Bridges, Lakes, Rivers, Interstate And International Trade Securities, Regulate Commerce, Banking, Insurance, Food & Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, Military, Air Traffic Control, Public Transportation, Space Program, Orbital Satellite Deployment, Postal Services, Parks, Legislation, Public Works, Environmental Security, National Weather Services, Emergency Management, Welfare, Indigent Health Care, Customs & Immigration, Elected Officials, Appointed Officials, Government Employees just to name a few.
* How Does A Government Accomplish This?
> Assessing, Collecting & Managing Taxes
* What Is A Citizen’s Responsibility?
> Pay Taxes
^ Even if they do not have a child in school
^ Never need a fireman
^ Don’t get welfare
^ Or travel abroad
* Personal Penalties
* Community Penalties
* It is the same relationship between Christians and their church. The church exists, provides and maintains personnel and services on the strength of tithes and offerings.
> There are both personal and corporate penalties for non-payment - non-compliance with kingdom assessments
If a person informed you that they were going to Mexico to build a road for the poor people of Mexico who did not have a road to take their produce to market and that person asked you to send your taxes to them instead of sending them to the US Government, since the US has good roads and the people of Mexico are so much more in need, would you be justified to do so? No!
The proper channel would be to request from the US government financial aid and assistance for the project. If the US decided to support the cause and the budget allowed, the project would be funded. I trust the US would not fund that project at the expense of loosing necessary teachers in the classrooms and sufficient policemen from our community roadways.
When a tax base dwindles, communities suffer, services diminish, vision deteriorates, jobs are lost and foreign aid efforts fail.
When a tithe base dwindles, churches suffer, services diminish, vision deteriorates, ministries are lost and foreign missions efforts fail.
The main difference between a citizen’s taxes and a Christian’s tithes is temporary impact verses eternal impact.
Some Christians tithe and some Christians tip.
The difference between a tithe and a tip is that A tip is 15% …
And the tip is on top of the price of the meal!
I would not be caught tipping Jesus’ Bride less than I would tip a bad waiter at Bennigan’s.
Covenant Securities
Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
God Is A Covenant God
He Offered Covenant To Abraham And To His Seed, Whose Seed We Are … Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
You Were Born Again Into The Covenant God Made With Abraham
Sunday morning we established that:
Tithes and Offerings Are Not Issues Of The Law, But Tenants Of The Covenant.
And That New Testament Theology Supports The Fact That:
Jesus removed His followers from the curse of the law, not from the responsibilities of the covenant.
There are many places in the Old Testament that give instruction on practicing the covenant. One such is place is:
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.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
I. Covenant Securities
A. Conditional Covenant
1. Bilateral Covenant
2. If You Will, I Will
B. Prove Me And See
1. Open The Windows Of Heaven To You
2. Rebuke The Devourer For You
3. All People Will Acknowledge You As Blessed
II. Four Principles Of Giving
1. Obedient - Bring all the tithes
Genesis 4
3 ¶ And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 ¶ And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? …
Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
2. Cheerful - (expectancy produces excitement/cheer)
2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
3. Liberal
2 Corinthians 9:6 ¶ But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Proverbs 11
24 ¶ There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
25 ¶ The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
4. Diligent
Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Proverbs 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
Matthew 25 The parable of the talents (5/2/1) wicked & slothful
Those who were diligent increased and were considered faithful
The one who said it was useless to serve God decreased
Extra Thought
III. The Storehouse Blessing
A. We Bless The Storehouse Of God
B. God Wants To Bless Our Storehouse
Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
1. Get yourself a storehouse plan
2. Even if it is small, begin with something and let God bless it
In the following lessons we will answer several practical questions concerning giving. You may request a copy of my notes along with a cassette tape or CD of this evening’s service from the information desk. When requesting tapes of this series, you may wish to have the dates handy: Sunday Mornings, 090103; 091403 & Wednesday Evening, 091703.
