Biblical Financial Giving audio video notes. What does the dreaded word ‘tithe’ mean anyway? Tithe simply means a percent. God teaches us to give a percentage into three different areas: (1) Prevention tithe; (2) Intervention tithe; and (3) Yourself tithe. Have you ever been told you are to tithe to yourself? To show you I know what I’m talking about and keep you interested, I want to show you the last one first – a tithe to yourself. It’s in God’s Biblical financial plan.
THE POWER OF…
By Pastor Delbert Young
Biblical Financial Giving
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The Power Of Biblical Financial Giving
Scriptures: Matthew 6:21, Matthew 6:24, Deuteronomy 14:22-26, Malachi 3:8-9, Malachi 3:10-11, Deuteronomy 14:28-29
I want to talk about The Power of Biblical Financial Giving. Just so you’ll know, we have the doors locked so you can’t escape (kidding). When any person comes into the kingdom of God, one of the first areas God begins dealing with is money and our giving. Here’s why. Money and our giving are a direct picture of what masters our hearts and what/who we truly serve. Jesus said,
Matthew 6:21 For where your TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART will be also.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two MASTERS. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot SERVE both God and Money.
Jesus said our hearts follow our treasure. You can tell a lot about your heart by looking at your bank statements, credit card statements, or where your cash goes. Money will master and control you more than God. You need to know this.
I’m always picky about what I share, but as we get closer to retirement, I’m very selective. It’s is a lesson I want you to know. It’s important. Do you understand the power of biblical giving? I know you know you should give, but do you understand why? If there’s anything I’ve been slack in, it’s teaching about giving. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t want to sound as if I’m begging for your money, but by not talking about it I’ve done you, our church, the kingdom, and lost souls a disservice. However, I want you to know the power of biblical financial giving.
The Bible talks about three different types of giving, or actually giving three different tithes. I know. You’re saying, “Three! Let’s get out of here Martha! I can’t do one tithe, and he’s already talking about three.” If you’re thinking something like this, it shows you how desperately you need this teaching. If you didn’t know the Bible teaches us to give in three different areas your giving will never be powerful or your life fully blessed by God. So, stick with me. I think you’ll like this. At least you will learn something.
What does the dreaded word “tithe” mean anyway?
Tithe simply means a percent. God teaches us to give a percentage into three different areas: (1) Prevention tithe; (2) Intervention tithe; and (3) Yourself tithe. Have you ever been told you are to tithe to yourself? To show you I know what I’m talking about and keep you interested, I want to show you the last one first – a tithe to yourself.
(KJV) Deuteronomy 14:22-26 Thou shalt truly TITHE all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. AND THOU SHALT EAT BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, THE TITHE of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; THAT THOU MAYEST LEARN TO FEAR THE LORD THY GOD ALWAYS. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
THEN SHALT THOU TURN IT INTO MONEY, and BIND UP THE MONEY IN THINE HAND, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: AND THOU SHALT BESTOW THAT MONEY FOR WHATSOEVER THY SOUL LUSTETH AFTER, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or FOR WHATSOEVER THY SOUL DESIRETH: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household
This tithe (percentage of your income) is for you and your household to use for whatever thy soul lusteth after… whatsoever thy soul desireth. I’m not going to get into the mechanics of this tithe now, but the tithe to yourself is as important as the prevention tithe, the one you are most familiar with, or the intervention tithe also called alms. Imagine how different and financially blessed your life would be if you put back 10% of your income every year. Judy and I began doing this back in the early 1980’s. Imagine if you’d done this for thirty-five years! You could take month-long vacations and buy anything you wanted. I want you to see the power of biblical financial giving.
Let’s talk about the prevention percent tithe and the intervention percent tithe. When we’re asked to give spontaneously, money to the hungry/homeless, give to help a 3rd world country, give to help a single mom, give to women’s shelters, etc. these create a lot of passion and emotion to do something. We’ve all felt our heartstrings pulled by the needs of the less fortunate and given emotionally. Maybe a missionary shared concerning the needs of a third-world country, or an evangelist shared about lost souls, or I shared about the immediate needs of someone. You did what you could or what you wanted to do. It’s spontaneous giving. It makes us feel good by satisfying our conscience.
The Bible certainly teaches us to do this.
It’s sort of “Good Samaritan” giving. However, the Bible teaches higher and better ways to give. It includes helping people in their times of crisis and need but goes to a higher level.
For example, say a young married couple has a few children. The marriage goes into crisis and tanks. The husband/provider splits leaving the mother with the children, but with no income or way to take care of her children. It’s cold. The power will be cut off. The children must eat. Eventually, a doctor will be needed. It will require intervention giving to take care of the crisis, but nothing is corrected long-term and more intervention giving will be required. You could become an enabler. However, had the young couple been in a good church like ours receiving good teaching and developing solid relationships with other believers, likely the intervention would have been prevented. Intervention giving gives to a crisis. Prevention giving prevents the crisis.
Many of you began coming to Life Gate when in a crisis. Your marriage was in crisis, or your children were in crisis. Your life was in crisis. You’re not in crisis now, or shouldn’t be in the same crisis. Why? Because people, for over thirty years, have given a percentage of their income so you could find help in your crisis and correct the problem. Had you been coming to Life Gate all the while, the crisis likely would have been prevented, or it would not have gotten as serious.
God’s biblical financial giving plan – percentage giving – is aimed at (1) preventing the need for intervention, but (2) if people need intervention, help is available, and (3) you personally enjoying financial success and financial security.
The power of INTERVENTION PERCENT GIVING is giving when someone is in a crisis.
This type of giving gives directly to something needing immediate intervention. It helps but doesn’t fix or correct anything.
A power of PREVENTION PERCENT GIVING is when we biblically and consistently give a percentage of our income to help people avoid crisis and needing intervention to begin with.
The power of GIVING YOURSELF A PERCENT is to give you personal financial success and security.
Let me ask you which is better and more powerful: (1) INTERVENE and rescue a child from an abusive home (sexual, physical, emotional), or (2) PREVENT the home from becoming abusive in the first place? With intervention, though the child is rescued, tremendous damage is done. The child was wounded and will likely deal with emotional and mental scars for the remainder of life. With prevention, the abuse and wounds never happened.
Which is better and more powerful: (1) INTERVENE to help a single mom recovering from a horrific divorce, or (2) PREVENT the divorce in the first place?
Which is better and more powerful: (1) intervene to help a person recover from drug addiction, or (2) prevent the person from becoming a drug addict in the first place?
And, which is better and more powerful: (1) to live week-to-week, behind on bills, and not paying bills so you can take a vacation, etc., or (2) be personally successful financially and financially secure?
These show us some of The Power of Biblical Financial Giving.
“Delbert, you’ve shown us in the Bible where the Lord God instructs us to give a percent – a tithe – to ourselves. Where in the Bible is the prevention tithe and the intervention tithe?” Thank you for asking.
Malachi 3:8-9 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “IN TITHES AND OFFERINGS. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because YOU ARE ROBBING ME.
Exactly as “offerings” are plural, “tithes” are plural. We’ll talk about the robbing issue next time.
Malachi 3:10-11 Bring the WHOLE TITHE into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME IN THIS,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I WILL PREVENT pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.
“I will… what? PREVENT! The power of this percent giving is to prevent crises from happening. Also, notice it will open special supernatural (heaven) blessings. God invites you to test him on this tithe – percent giving. We’ll dive into this tithe more next time. Let’s look at the intervention percent tithe.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the END OF THREE YEARS thou shalt bring forth all the TITHE of thine increase the same year, and SHALT LAY IT UP within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; THAT THE LORD THY GOD MAY BLESS THEE IN ALL THE WORK OF THINE HAND WHICH THOU DOEST.
This is obviously a different tithe – percent giving. Every third year the tithe was doubled. I’ll show you how Judy and I do this next time. This is crisis intervention giving for ministry, the stranger [transient], orphans, widows, emergency, etc. We’re to lay it up separately. It brings a special blessing of success from God. In the New Testament, it’s called “Alms” by Jesus (Mat 6:1-4). We’ll take a good look at this next time.
Life Gate Church has touched your life and your family because over the years people decided to trust God and say, “I’m going to give a percentage to my church. My church changes lives. I don’t care if it goes to replace light bulbs, help pay electric bills, fix commodes, repair air conditioners, buy projectors, pay salaries, cut grass, clean the building, or whatever. I realize prevention giving is not always glamorous, feel good, spontaneous, and emotional, and I know every dollar I give can’t be made to sound spectacular. I’m smart enough to know it costs money to have a good church. I am going to participate with Jesus in the eternal. This church has touched my life, and I want to pay it forward.”
We can measure intervention giving, but I can’t tell you how many marriages you prevented from divorce.
You can see the child rescued from abuse, but I can’t show you those you prevented from needing to be rescued. I can’t tell you how many people you prevented from going to hell. We can’t measure prevention giving. I can’t tell you how many lives you’ve prevented from destruction with great praise and worship and solid biblical teaching. But, I can tell you this. You will be amazed when you get to the other side, and the Lord shows you how many and says, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” That’s the real Power of Biblical Financial Giving!
Biblical Financial Giving audio video notes
Biblical Financial Giving audio video notes
Other Related Sermons:
Careful Thought to Your Ways – sermon video audio notes
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