God's Plan for Giving, Part 1

The Bible does not institute tithing. There is no statement from God ever regarding tithing at this point in Genesis, no one told Abraham to give a 10 no one told Jacob to give 10, certainly not God. There is no universal law. As such, stated the best economic times.

The top source of stress for Americans ever changed. It was always money. How about you.

Can you relate to that sort of stress and what can you do to overcome it and how can you make sure it doesn't stop you from supporting the Lord's work find out today as John shows you how the Lord wants you to think about money. He's titled our current study God's plan for giving and with today's lesson.

Here's John MacArthur, more than any other single commodity money is in your hands.

You're constantly dealing with money you pay bills constantly write checks you received paycheck to go to the savings go to the bank you take your wallet out you put change in this and that money is a constant thing.

The Christian is faced with many decisions regarding money. Basically, they fall into four categories number one how we feel about money.

Number two how we earn money. Number three how we spend money a number for how we give money. The total stewardship of money can fall into those categories.

How we feel about it, how we earn and how we spend it how we give it away a first of all, what about the area of how we feel about money does the Bible say anything about that when you know it does.

And I'm just going to briefly introduce the subject does want to dwell on the fourth one, but the Bible says a lot about how we feel about money.

First of all it says we are not to love it.

In first Timothy six verse 10 it says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

We are not to love money is not an easy thing, since it's around us all the time. Another thing the Bible says in regard to how we feel about money is that we are not to trust money. That is, we are not to put our confidence in our money in first Timothy 617 it says charge those that are rich not to trust in their money to trust in money is idolatry.

Even when you derive your sense of security from the money that you say God provides for you that still idolatry. In Matthew 624 says you cannot serve to God.

You can't serve the true God and money that can a divided allegiance doesn't make it. That's why when the Bible lays down the qualifications for an elder.

It says he cannot be a man is greedy of money as you cannot serve God and money only that the Bible tells us that we are not to seek to be rich. We are to seek to honor God.

If he desires to make us rich. That's his business where to seek the work as hard as we can do the very best we can for his glory. If he desires to make us rich in response to that. That's his business. First Timothy 69 says those who would be rich fall in the many hurtful lusts in their souls ultimately are drowned in destruction and loss. Also in regarding money.

We are not to regard money as our own is God's. We are stewards of it there other things in that area. We are the second. What is the Bible say about how we earn money or how we get money says a lot. First of all, were not to steal it. That's a no-no. We cannot steal money. Say I know I would never do that was in the Psalm 3721 the wicked borrows and pays not back there lots of ways to steal. In fact, in Amos 85 and Hosea 12 seven. The prophets talk about falsifying the balance owed, and then deceiving somebody out of money know you not to steal money. Secondly, we are not to exploit others by usury.

In other words, we are not to overcharge desperate people. If your brother has a need to give them to meet his need. You don't loan and what he has to have an in charge of exorbitant and high rates of interest that usury also. We are not to defraud people by not paying them what we owe them, you know what James 54 says it says the money that you should've paid your labors is crying out against you.

You've defrauded them because you didn't pay them what they deserve for their work in terms of how we get money. The Bible also says were not to gamble for this, of course, I think, is an inference in the Scripture from the standpoint. If you trust the sovereignty of God in the providence of God, chance has no part in it. The word for dice play is used in connection with the ministry of Satan in Ephesians 414. Now those are negative things as to how were not to get money how are we to get it. Well, we are to get it by receiving gifts and this is a wonderful way you don't have to do anything. You just have to be nice or know somebody was nice and and Paul receive money a lot. They gave him gifts constantly and I suppose I've been the beneficiary of such things. Sometimes people send a love offering you know in response to a ministry that you had. And this is expressing love and this is a legitimate way the Old Testament they receive money without working in the basis of inheritance didn't date of the firstborn receive the inheritance of all that his father possessed in general so we can receive gifts in terms of inheritance, as well as gifts of love. Another way that we can get money is by making wise investments and I don't believe that God wants us to to run the risk of wildcat investments in high risk gambling speculations with his funds, but I think that God desires that we make wise investments in Matthew 25 verse 27, you know that the owner said to the servant.

If you'd been smart you to put this money out so that when I came back I would've received mine alone with interest so we can earn money by making wise investments.

Interest can be made, but the primary way in the last one I'll mention as we earn money by work good old work and when you get down to the place of people who are chronically out of money chronically don't have enough there chronically indolent some degree or other other other extenuating circumstances and in personal, individual cases but basically the real problem with people who don't have anything as they don't work for anything. Work is a wonderful divine principle and a lot of us like a lot of divine principles but were not real excited about that one. But that is one Proverbs 2819 he that tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he that follows after vein person shall have poverty enough.

He just floats with a crowd enough to make it with the guy stays on a work season to do all right. I give you the one I like this. Proverbs 1423. This is really practical. Listen to this in all labor there is profit, but the talk of the lips tends to poverty. You work, you make money.

You talk you don't you see the Bible that has a lot to say about how we get money about how we feel about money.

Thirdly, it has a lot to say about how we spend money. First of all, we are to provide for the needs of our family and the needs of those around us. First Timothy 58 says that if a man is a provide for his household is worse than an infidel. That's pretty serious talk and it and John said in first John three that if you see your brother have a need. You don't meet his need it. You're not even a Christian, how dwells the love of God in you, so you artists spend your money for your needs and the needs of your household and the needs of those around you happening. Secondly you to spend your money to pay your debts immediately get that immediately she were to get that the Bible Romans 13 old no man anything but love 1/3 thing you're doing spending your money is to save your money. You know that there are four wise wise creatures in the world that God just really exalts ants, badgers, locusts and spiders so you kidding know what Proverbs 30.

There are four things verse 24 says what your little on the earth but are exceedingly wise. The ants first answer make a great contribution. They mostly just get in the way.

But here we find that they are extolled for a very, very interesting virtue.

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer in order not to strong but they're smart enough to know that you better get your food in the summer because you're knocking to be vilified in the winter good for the ants that saving us – in it for the time you needed 2120 of Proverbs.

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise. In other words, whatever you need to go to find a wise man's treasury's right. What a foolish man spends up no preparation for the future. I believe that future planning is very reasonable.

It is not only reasonable is biblical. It is why. Maybe your future planning is in long-term solid investments. Maybe it's in life insurance where you are setting aside a certain amount of money to secure a certain amount in the future which can take care of the needs of your family in a day when they may not have the money to supply the need. This is why I so there we have some some of the indication. What the Bible says about how to spend it how we are learning how to feel about all of this people becomes a barometer on your Christian life. How you handle money, just like everything else, how you handle your wife Diana your husband.

I am your kids how you handle the stewardship of every dimension of your life how you work at your job how you handle the relationships of the believers. Everything you do, how you handle your prayer life. I handle your Bible time. All of this is a monitor or a barometer on your spiritual life is money is no different. The credibility of your Christianity is manifest in the handling of your funds in this a difficult area because it so constantly. A problem that we're being bombarded by the world to spend our money stupidly and not only that, to add to it were being bombarded by Christians to spend it just a stupidly let's face it we are victimized by an awful lot of slick campaigning on the part of Christian organizations are weak front to loosen up our Christian bucks but your money is a qualifier of your Christianity to sense you know that's what John meant when he said first junk we see your brother have need, and you don't extend him what he needs, how dwells the love of God in you, that other words, your Christianity becomes manifest on the very level of what you give the money to the guy needs you have to think of the money that you have is a stewardship. If your employer came to you and Sandhya in 100 bucks.

My money want you to spend it carefully and wisely purchasing some things we need come back and give the account what I'm telling you, take care that hundred bucks you have $100 in your in your pocket that your own and you don't feel because it your all that you have any obligation to anybody but whose really is is God's.

And if you should give an account to your employer how much of an accounting to give to God for how you spend $100. You must answer to God_the fourth. We want to talk too much about that gift, painful. The major issue of Scripture.

And I'm even squirming the major issue of Scripture is concerned with how you give your money on this dominate Scripture. It's too important a subject for us to bypass how we give our money is extremely important and it isn't easy to keep a clear perspective because we really are being bombarded. There are constant appeal if you been a Christian any length of time you have gotten on any of the Christian quote on quote mailing lists you know what comes wanting your Christian money will if it's that way, your house, you can imagine was like mine.

There is no to the proliferation of people want money were bombarded by these techniques, giving gimmicks church stewardship drives budget drives all kinds of things we all come from organizations in the past we were victimized by this and I guess Christian giving in the eyes of some people seems to be exploitation in the eyes of other people seems to be totally neglected as a stream of literature telling you how you can take courses in certain schools on how to raise your church, but I can go take a course and I have a book I read this week on how to develop a tithing church how to get slick things going like loyalty. We can knock on every door week and everything in the book, how to have a pledge system that I have a canvas how to have this how to have that how to do this, how to stimulate people how to motivate people how to make him feel guilty because they don't do what they ought to do and then trade on the guilt that they feel and if you really get desperate, you can hire out-of-town experts will come in and raise the money for you for a piece of the action is not totally a ministry there's one organization that exists in America just to published materials. You can post Roger church to stimuli people to give money to get stimulate people to give money. I just against doing it in on biblical weights. There are so many slick admin putting together these things are so many hucksters on TV and radio hounding the Christians for money that you really kinda find yourself trapped and you know what to do with what you know. Let's face it, it comes from so many directions, we are being absolutely parted by the fact that we don't socket away if we don't have this whole huge six months worth of income stashed somewhere will ever make it. What happened to God and I believe in saving but you know you can become paranoid about this and you really are trapped between the balance of of trusting God and investing with God and keeping what we need to supply our family for the present and the future.

It all boils down friends to the responsiveness that we have the ministry the Holy Spirit in our lives as he leads and guides.

Not many people come along and they say that the solution to everything is to just accept the biblical pattern which is 10%, but the biblical standard of giving is the tide, or 10%, and they justify the 10% by saying if the law will require 10% certainly grace would require at least 10% since. Incidentally, the tide is never mentioned in the New Testament in reference to the church is giving never in all the passages where the church gives there is no mention at all any place of tithing, but in order to get tithing in the same flow required a tent certainly grace that against the principal. But what they're really saying is we know tithing is not New Testament giving, but if we don't push the time were afraid we won't get enough money to operate. It really boils down to that kind of motivation that the 10% sorta keeps the money flowing. We what's wrong with a 10% number one. It is biblical in its giving for the wrong reason.

It's giving to fulfill an obligation, rather than a response to a loving willing heart right.

Second thing is wrong with it as it hinders what you could do what make you think you're done giving is never to be by coercion is never to be by fundraising is never to be by compulsion, it is any gimmick is offensive to God. Now, having said that, let me just say this and will get into it. God's pattern. Forgiving is not tithing. In the New Testament, it isn't even tithing in the Old Testament. It never has been, tithing, and never will be tithing and I'll try to explain why I can say that this morning and asked her. Now let's divide the history of giving into three sections. Before Moses between Moses and Jesus and from Jesus to the present. These are three periods of history. Three dispensations if you will, with which will deal in the first and the second and the third noticed his friends all teach the same pattern of giving. There is no difference. Let's look first of all giving before Moses, because this is important to people who teach that we should tie teach on this basis since the tide was before Moses.

Since Abraham tide and Jacob ties before the Mosaic law. Tithing was before Moses was before the law is therefore to be after the law, it is a universal principle. Therefore, since the tide was first locking in the middle that the universal continues afterward. So the tithing is continuous problem with that is if you're going to accept anything before the law as norm for after the law. The Sabbath was also before the law right so we got a quick meeting on Sunday.

Secondly, the sacrificial system was was initiated with the gardener and wouldn't have to go back to killing animals and I'm not real sure that's the idea. So forgot to say that the whatever before the laws after the law we run an awful lot of problems. Let's not say it were a lot safer giving before Moses falls into two categories, as does all giving and always.

Two categories free will giving and required giving free will giving and required giving the Bible does require that you give your money not buying anything. Just giving it away.

The Bible does require that it also. The Bible also speaks of a free gift free gifts. Now let's look at the book of Genesis and let's find out from the very start about.

First of all free will giving us can be an Old Testament lesson this morning into the room to see some interesting things.

The term tide does appear in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis. It does now.

Some of thought that because it appears in Genesis. It becomes the standard from the start God's universal plan is the tide.

Incidentally, the Hebrew word Maha Sarah which is translated tide means 1/10 part is the same as secretary in the Greek the 10th is all it means.

It simply means a tent is in religious words, a mathematical word.

It has only to do with the percentage means a tent historically even outside the Bible from ancient sources that we have. We know that man has always used 10 as the basic number four counting system and that is obviously because he starts out by going on so you get 10 fingers and 10 toes.

So 10 becomes the symbol of the counting system. This is universal, the symbol of measurement is to not notice him then kinda becomes the number of completion. We see the sometimes even in Scripture. 10 becomes a number of completion. There is evidence that many pagan deities were honored by the giving of a tent, and the reason is this, since the 10 represented totality or completeness. The giving of a tent was a symbol of the giving of the whole. You know I mean the giving of 1/10 of something. The totality was represented and that 10 by giving what was a total number 10 you are simply sort of symbolizing the fact that you were giving your all since 10 was the symbol of totality, so the total number 10 became then a common number in terms of offerings to deities among the pagans. Now the Bible does not institute tithing in Genesis.

There is no statement from God ever regarding tithing at this point no one told Abraham to give a tent. No one told Jacob to give a tent, certainly not God. There is no universal law.

As such, stated in Scripture. Now let me show you what I mean in Genesis chapter 4. For example, you can kinda float through Genesis if you want this can allude to it. But in Genesis chapter 4, you have the first offering on the first offer given to God was from Cain and Abel and the interesting thing about this is that it was a voluntary offering, it simply says in verse three and in the process of time it came to pass a Cain brought the fruit of the ground and Abel brought the firstlings of the flock. Now there is no command that they were to do this.

God did not tell them specifically to do this. At least it is not so recorded in the Scripture. It seems to me that just in the process of time it came to pass that they did it. It was then voluntary right. It was a free choice on their part. They gave fruit of the ground which, of course, as we know, was not the thing that had been asked of God. We know that there was no universal law about how much, but there was, apparently, the revelation of the law about what was to be an animal sacrifice. We don't know what percentage it all. There is no indication of it. They were prompted by their own initiative. There was no requirement.

There was no amount. There was no stipulation and there was no frequency enjoined upon completely at their own will.

Later on you having chapter 8 no flood subsides. Chapter 8 and no immediately goes out to make a sacrifice or to make an offering to God. Verse 20 says he billeted older and took of every clean beast and every clean found and offered burnt offerings on the altar and here is an offering to God again. It is completely voluntary. Noah determined that his own heart.

It was spontaneous. You go further and that and you go to Abraham and you find that Abraham in chapter 12 is given the wonderful call of God to be the leader of a nation response to that in verse 70 builds an altar to the Lord and in offering to the Lord, there again is no command or is no stipulation. There is no requirement, only the free spirit of Abraham in response to the wonderful promise of God as he says thanks to God by way of an offering in verse 18 of 13 he did it again. He built another altar to the Lord in Hebrew so always a volunteer thing never in response to the command of God. Here we have people free will giving these people gave the God of their own possessions out of love and thankfulness, and it was totally spontaneous. This is a pattern of free will giving that's John MacArthur continuing his look at how you can use your money for God's glory, John is pastor of Grace Community Church. She's a popular conference speaker and also Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary's current study on grace to you is showing you God's plan for giving well John.

Another aspect of how we deal with money concerns the taxes we pay now we know the Bible says we need to pay our taxes, but when the government promotes ungodly policies or when our tax dollars are used to support not just laws.

We don't like, but laws that are legitimately anti-God. How should Christians respond, what effect should that have on our taxpaying for the Bible is pretty explicit addresses pay her taxes render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's obviously, even when our Lord said that he knew that Caesar was not using all that money for the advancement of his kingdom right Caesar's kingdom, but not God's kingdom. So the assumption is that Caesar is Caesar and God is God and the world is the world and the kingdom of God is the kingdom of God and the world is in the power under the power of Satan so you do have to give money to the government even though you don't like everything the government does with that money. And the reason that we do that is very explicitly stated in Scripture is that we might live quiet and peaceable lives that we might not be rebels and those who overthrow government, we are to be quiet, live quiet, tranquil, godly lives, we are to be model citizens we are to obey the laws of the land.

God has ordained government right and the agents of government are ministers of God says in Romans 13 so God is ordained government to control culture to control society that we would have anarchy and rebellion in war and mass chaos if we didn't have government and government didn't have the power of the sword, so that's designed by God, so we cannot ever expect to control everything government does with our resources and we may not like what they do with those resources but that's a stewardship that is outside our care.

Our responsibility is to pay the taxes that the government requests.

This is a clearly stated custom to whom customers do tax to whom taxes due.

That's what the Bible says so it's really an interesting thing when you come to pay your taxes if you haven't done it already today. Just know this.

You're obeying the Lord. In doing this you are obeying the Lord you don't have the right to withhold something because you don't like what the government does submit to the powers that be, for they are ordained of God. The Lord will honor you for doing that paying your taxes, keeping government in place because you can't survive without without some government power and authority and let God deal with the with the people who miss use those resources for evil ends. Leave me God will take care of that eventually yes you will, and thank you for that answer. John understanding God's design for taxes does make it easier to pay them and friend to help you cultivate a biblical mindset on government science, economics, and more. Let me recommend a book from John and the Masters University faculty. It's called think biblically, to purchase a copy. Contact us today. Call 855 grace or go to our website Jide TY.org think biblically. The book costs 1350 and shipping is free. Read an excerpt from the book and place your order@jidety.org or call us at 855 grace. Also, let me remind you that this ministry is listener supported. It's because of giving from friends like you that we can have a spiritual impact on so many people an example, we recently heard from Barbara who said that she was lost in sin, but God used grease to use Bible teaching to savor now.

She listens to grace to you every day and friend.

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You can also mail your gift to grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 now for John MacArthur and the grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson with a question for you.

Are Christians required to tie find out tomorrow when John continues his series God's plan for giving it another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you