Review….It all belongs to God – God owns it – God loans it – God distributes it. We are
the managers/ stewards/ trustees.
Going against the current – Free from worry, Free from Guilt, Free from Debt: Free to
be blessed.

Scripture reading:
Intro: It took 12 men and 3 pickup trucks to deliver the gift to St. Josephs’ Catholic
Church in MA…Melvin Doyle, who describes himself as a hoarder, was giving his
church his entire coin collection…..the quarters filled 26 - 5 gallon containers, there was
a keg of pre-1965 silver quarters, 3,500 silver dimes and sacks bulging with hundreds of
silver dollars.. The 89- year-old has been collecting coins since he was 5. He said his
grandfather instilled in him the idea that every nickel was worth saving….all the coins
were worth nearly $75,000. He wanted to give them away before he died. We don’t
have to wait until we’re 89 years old, near the end of our life to learn how to give….The
Bible echoes with God’s guidelines for Giving… that not only teach us how to give but
teach us the result of Godly giving..

I. Give to God First ….
Prov. 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops ….Israel
had 3 feasts a year …Passover, Feast of Tabernacles and Feast of Week or First
fruits…Agricultural society depending on produce from the Land.. Deut. 26:1 “When you
have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you, take some of the first fruits of all
that you produce from the soil of the Land that the Lord your God is given you and put
them in a basket….” Remember when used to raise vegetables…couldn’t wait to eat
that first tomato…God says…give it to me… On the Feast of Firstfruits God’s people
would stream to Jerusalem with the first fruits of the harvest, came 50 days after
Passover….on the day we call Pentecost…meaning 50…. When people now became
the firstfrut of the harvest….as the Holy Spirit was poured out… they saw the fulfillment
of Jesus words… the harvest is ready.
James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind
of firstfruits of all he created. Now we are the firstfruits and bring to God first all of what
we have & are.
In OT their return is marked by a return to the firstfruits.
Ex: Hezekiah: II Chron. 31:5As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously
gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields
produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6 The men of Israel and
Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and
a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the LORD their God, and they piled them in heaps.
Ex: Nehemiah: after rebuilding the wall, just getting resettled, people promise God that
they will assume their responsibility each year to bring the first fruits of all crops, ground
meal, grain, corn….
Most of us give to Uncle Sam first…..taken right out of your check…Often give God
what’s leftover….not first…and then wonder if its before or after taxes… Read my lips…
FIRST….
NT: I Cor. 16:2 “on the first day of every week each one of you should set aside a sum
of money in keeping with his income…” on the first day
II Cor. 8… Macedonian church…gave themselves “first to the Lord and then to us in
keeping w/ God’s will”…giving to God first…
Ex: Giving part of vision….giving talents, time, money to God 1st.
…

II. Give to God the best…
Ex: We get calls all the time, People want to give us stuff….sometimes sounds real
good…until you get it….Give your junk??? NO……EX 23:19 "Bring the best of the
firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.”
OT sacrifices always had to be the best of the crops, - no rotten tomatoes, or spoiled
fruit.…the best of the flocks… “without defect” Bible very specific, as if the Holy Spirit
knows our tendency to want to give away what we don’t want..
Lev. 1:3 “A male without defect, if any has a defect, lame, blind or serious flaw you must
not sacrifice to the Lord your God..” …without defect…over 45 times….Temptation to
give away what don’t want..
Lev. 27:37 “He must not pick out the good from the bad or made any substitution..”
Even the Levites who tithed of the tithe had to give the best….. Filet Mignon…Aaron’s
sons…look at that cut – good for grilling…. Lord won’t miss it. One of the most frequent
sins Israel entered into was not giving God the best… Malachi – bring blind animals,
crippled, diseased, defiled food, bad offerings…
Give God the Best….This is why the tabernacle, & temple made out of gold, silver,
copper, brass, fine cloths – giving the best to God. .not leftovers but the best…
- but not just in building….giving to God the best of our ability, time, resources,
connections…..not just what’s leftover….. 

III. Give to God consistently.
LEV 27:30 "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from
the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems any of his
tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock--
every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be holy to the LORD.”
Tithe simply means 10th…. But it was the consistent giving of this amount that God
asked for.. 3Tithe stored up and brought every 3 years when many had made the
journey to Jerusalem… planned giving, recognizing what was God’s and setting it
aside…
This was part of the lifestyle of Israel… Sacrifices and offerings were to be brought at
the times of the 3 major festivals and feasts a year.
People didn’t give in response to a guilt-ridden emotional sermon, or in response to
being embarrassed into getting out of their seat.. Giving is to be consistently and
faithfully to remind us of Gold’s faithfulness & consistency to us…
NT: On the first day of the week, set aside a sum of money..
Planned giving….part of living a life of worship…
- many planning what to do w/ paycheck before you get it…
- many spending tax return before they even get it…. lose money to get it sooner…But
are you planning what you are going to give the Lord on a weekly basis?…are you
teaching this to your children?
Kids...see some of you going to store before church – spending gift? Are you giving God
as much daily as you’re spending on junk food?

IV. Give to God in proportion to what you have…
Church I grew up in, had a weekly amount every family was supposed to give to the
church’s General Fund… not a very Biblical practice either.…some could easy give it,
some couldn’t give it…. But Biblically we see God directs us to give in proportion to
what we have… Deut: 16:10: “Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your
God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has
given you.” Deut 16:17 “Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord
your God has blessed you… “I Cor. 16 “Set aside a sum of money in keeping with his
income...” See chart….. what proportion are you giving…”
We tithe as a church – in proportion to our blessings… 8% of our General Ministy Fund
offering goes to support Denominational & Classical ministries plus our weekly special
offerings…we tithe about 15% beyond ourselves...…
Jesus watching people put offerings in money box at temple...saw the rich and poor
widow put in 2 small coins... “This poor widow has put in more than all the other…all
these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she
had to live on...
True even for spiritual gifts, to use them in proportion to what we have... Rom 12: 6 “We
have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let
him use it in proportion to his faith.” Give to God first, the best, consistently,
proportionately and from your heart.

V. Give to God from your heart…
Wizard of Id: Pastor outside of church, “Coming in to the Service Zeke?”… Zeke
looking at church sign. “The Joy of Tithing… “Sorry Pastor, I can’t afford to be any
happier than I am right now…
II Cor. 9:7 – give what he/she has decided in his/her heart. God loves a cheerful
giver…
Cain & Able….why did God reject Cain’s sacrifice?? In the text..…”Cain brought “some
of the fruits of the soil but Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his
flock…” Cain brought some; Able brought the first and the best. This outward
difference reflected an inward heart difference…. …get it over with, give God his due,
pay my dues.. Saw later in Israel’s history that God rejected their offerings and
sacrifices because they were just done out of obligation, going through the motions and
not from the heart.
Saul: had a heart problem…the kind surgery can’t fix…
Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Amos:. .Giving not accompanied by obedience. Amos 4:4 "Go to Bethel and sin; go to
Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three
years 5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill
offerings-- boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,"
declares the Sovereign LORD….
.
Jeremiah 6:20 “I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because
they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. Your burnt offerings are
not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.”
Isaiah. 1:13 “Stop bringing meaningless offerings…”
Contrast…collecting offerings for tabernacle….told that they received offerings from
each one whose heart prompted him to give, whose heart moved him and brought an
offering…all Israel, men and women who were willing brought an offering…”
- what makes the difference in the motivation of our giving…
- they saw God’s vision, they shared God’s vision, they wanted to participate in God’s
vision
- II Cor. 8:4 “they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to
the saints…”.Macedonian churches - Ex: An area church – vision of no building, no fulltime
staff so they can give 80% away…….. 9:7 “each should give what he has decided
in his heart to give. not reluctantly or under compulsion…”
Fred Smith “Giving is the drain plug of our greed…” we need to give in order to grow
spiritually…. Our giving is a reflection of where our heart is…remember Jesus
said…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…our hearts follow our
treasure and what we treasure shows where our heart is at…
Giving because God has given to us…out of thankfulness…
God gave to us first…his one and only son Jesus
God gave to us his best…part of himself
God gives to us consistently. from the beginning of creation to today, through all times &
place.
God gives proportionately…far beyond all we can even ask or imagine
God gives from the heart…. The heart of God is for all to come to repentance and
knowledge of the truth…

VI. Give and it will be given you…
I said when I began this series of messages that this is more about faith than finances,
that this is more about your spiritual growth than it is our budget deficit…that this is
more about seeing you experience God’s blessings that getting more money…This kind
of giving results in blessing & absence of it results in missing blessing.
II Cor. 9: 6…. Remember this…Sow sparingly…will reap sparingly. The law of the
Harvest is that you reap what you sow…Sow sparingly – in a miserly fashion…reap a
miserly crop…
Sow generously – reap generously...How are you sowing the seeds of blessing that
God has given to you? The gifts God has given you?
The resources God has given you? Sow sparingly – will reap sparingly… I have seen
this Biblical principle proved out multiple times….stingy, ungiving people, miss out…
generous, giving people experience more blessing from God… What are you? Where
are you?
This requires a choice, need to jump in, grab a handful of seed and say. .”God, I’m
inviting you in to my finances …I’m going to recognize that its all yours to start with, You
own it, loan it and distribute it….I’m going to manage it better Lord… I’m going to seek
first your Kingdom….you know what I need….and receive your promise that you will
provide for those needs…as you free me from worry, from greed, from debt and free me
to be blessed. I’m going to give you the first, the best, consistently and in proportion to
what I have, from my heart….and take advantage of the law of the harvest as I sow my
seed and receive your promise……that you will increase my store of seed and enlarge
the harvest of my righteousness …I will be made rich in every way so that I can be
generous on every occasion….
God’s guidelines for giving: follow them and you will be blessed.
Ignore them and you will miss out on the blessings of God…the choice is yours…