Give Your Worship
/Thank you to all the believers in the house that faithfully bring their tithes and offerings into the storehouse of God. It is your communion and fellowship with the word of God that provides this place of worship for us to come together and worship our King in comfort. I am personally thankful for your joint participation with the Holy Spirit as He leads you in this form of your worship. And let their be no mistake, that is what it is, it is worship! And for those that say, “You can’t afford to worship God this way, I will remind you that you worshipped Bera the king of Sodom with your money when you were in the world. The enemy of your soul enticed your flesh to spend money on yourself in ways that you should not have and now you have more money in your pocket than you ever did before and somehow you can’t find it to give to God. No, we will read it soon, and let it be known that we will all stand in the valley of The Kings and make a decision of who we will yield our will to.
My point is not to convince you how much you are to pay 10% on the gross or the net. Whether we realize it or not, the children of Israel were required to bring more than 10%. Some commentators believe that after it’s all added up, it’s closer to 20-30% and that’s not including the temple tax and that they were required to give additional freewill offerings that they wanted to give. When the Holy Spirit hit them in the book of Acts they gave everything, and Ananias and Saphira dropped dead on the spot—Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died
More than anything my assignment this morning is to draw a line from the Old Testament to the New Testament where we can clearly see that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that His heart for a congregation of worship in the old is the same heart for a congregation of worship in the new, the worship between He and His people required a house for Him then and it requires a house for Him today.
It is also not my intent to convince you to believe the way that I believe. When I first got saved, my pastor told me that I was supposed to pay tithes, she told me that meant 10%. My wicked heart said, “10% of the gross or the net, and she said, it depends on if you want a gross or net blessing. From there I spoke to elders in the church and their story was pretty much the same, “Do you want a net or a gross. No, it’s not my job to convince you of anything. It’s my job to study and pray and present His word to you, and it’s your job to study and pray and decide whether you will receive the word that I bring to you. And one day, I will stand before God and give an account for the word that I delivered, and you will stand before God and give an account for the word you received, and if you don’t think that is a serious thing—then we disagree.
Luke 10:7 the laborer is worthy of his hire
1 Timothy 5:17-18
17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Corban- MT 27:6, MK 7:11Lev. 1:2, Nu. 7:12-13 something brought near to the altar, a sacrificial present that was brought to the Lord as a form of worship. Sometimes animals, sometimes precious metals.
The tithe is for the Lord’s House
The tithe is for the Lord’s work
What is the Lord’s work? Getting you near—How does He do that? How do you do that?
What is your purpose? Serve Him
Whose house is it? The Lord’s
Whose table is it? Whose food is it? “I pay my tithes where I get fed”
While I definitely agree that it is God’s will for his people to not forsake the gathering of the brethren
Genesis 14:16
Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Genesis 14:17-24
Abram Blessed by Melchizedek
17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
19 And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
Hebrews 7:1-10
Galatians 2:17-18
Regarding Abraham’s statement to Bera, the Lord says something to Israel…
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
There is a spiritual truth that some of the most wealthy humans in the world have learned…when you give to charity, there is a financial blessing that comes back, but that is not the reason that believers give to God. O’ many have fallen into that trap, but giving to God is a form of worship and reverence to Him.
Exodus 8:1-28
Serve- set a work to be wrought, worshipper,
God commands the blessing on His people for the purpose that they can give to His work
Exodus 12:35-36
35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
The tabernacle is the house where the work of worship takes place and the whole congregation takes part and gives to the work…
Exodus 36:1-7
1 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
Exodus 13:1-2
Consecration of the Firstborn
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
Exodus 13:7-8
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ How did He deliver?
Exodus 13:11-14
11 “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD'S. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. How did He deliver?
Exodus 13:15-16
15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Numbers 3:40-51
How did He redeem the Firstborn
40 And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the M. Mmoney, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Leviticus 27:30-34
30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD'S; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the LORD. 33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
34 These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.
Malachi 3:1-3
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Malachi 3:6-11
Robbing God
6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.
Whose house is it? Whose food is it?
Numbers 28:1-2
Daily Offerings
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’
On the first day of the 7th you shall blow the trumpet. You shall do no servile work and you shall offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma
V6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
V13 on the 15th day of the month… you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish
V 35-36 On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work, but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish
And how do we rectify what seems like a contradiction in Hebrews 10 where he says:
V5b ….Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired v6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure…because it is written of me in the scroll of the book to do your will O’ God—a body you have prepared for me
Hebrews 7:23-28
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.