The Truth About

Giving

God’s Dare to Give Scripturally

Most people view giving in a negative way

Acts 20:35

The more you give the happier you will be!

One Thing You Lack

Mark 10:17-221. A person can have everything else

in his life completely in line with God’s word, but if his attitude toward money is wrong, he can still be lost.

2. Improper giving is on the same level as murder and every other sin!

God Says Much about Money

The most frequently discussed subjects in all of the Scriptures

There are 89 chapters in gospels and the subject of giving is discussed 123 times.

The Bible talks more about money than it does about faith, repentance, confession, baptism, church organization and qualifications of elders and deacons all combined.

God Says Much about Money

One out of every six verses in the New Testament deals with money, and half of Jesus’ parables discuss the subject.

Money Makes a Miserable Master

Deceptive Dollars

Matthew 13:22Matthew 6:24

I Timothy 6:9-10

Whose MONEY is it?

The First Principle of Stewardship

EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD!

Psalms 50:9-12

Do Not Forget the Lord

Deuteronomy 8:7-18

We think that we have money because we work hard, invest wisely or are frugal. Do not misunderstand: You will have more money if you work hard, invest wisely and are frugal than you would if you did not do those things. But you must understand that those are not the reasons you have money.

Do Not Forget the Lord

Here is how you can know: Are there people in other countries right

now who work harder than you do?Yet you will earn five times more in one

year than they will earn in a lifetime.Why do you earn more? Is it because you

work harder?No it is because God has blessed you by

placing you in a position where labor is more financially prosperous.

Don’t Be a Rich Fool

Luke 12:16-21Malachi 3:8

Suppose you went to the bank and deposited $5000. Two weeks later you returned to the bank (after they had been using your money and asked to withdraw $500. The teller smiles at you, explains that the bank used all but $25 of it, and offers to give that to you.

Would you be happy with that kind of stewardship?

Yet that is how we treat God’s money!

How Much DOES GOD

WANT?

Once we determine that all the money we possess is God’s, the next practical question to ask is how much of His money does

God want back?

Willing To Give It All

He wants you to be willing to give it all.

It is that simple. If you are not willing to give

every penny to the Lord right now, then you love money more than you love God.

Willing To Give It All

Mark 10:17-22 teaches this principle very clearly.

The man was rich, just like us.He was very religious, just like us.He worshipped God and wanted to do right, just

like us.The only thing keeping him from heaven was his

unwillingness to give God all of God’s money.IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO GIVE GOD

EVERYTHING, YOU ARE JUST LIKE THAT YOUNG MAN!

Willing To Give It All

Very few people who read the story of the rich young ruler ever think that Jesus’ instructions apply to them personally.

“Surely such instructions only apply to those who love money and are greedy.”

Notice, however, that nothing indicates this man ever did anything unlawful to get his money; there is no indication that he stole or “spent too much time at the office.”

His one fault was that he wasn’t willing to give God all of God’s money.

Different Requirements for Different People

We know, however, that God has not asked every person for all of His money back

Luke 19:1-10 (emphasis on verse 8 and 9)

There is no command in the New Testament as to how much a Christian is suppose to give.

So what percentage is a good place to start giving?

10 Percent?

There is no record in the Bible where God ever accepted less than 10 percent from any of His followers.

Abraham (Gen. 14:20)Jacob (Gen. 28:22)Israel

Num. 18:24 (10 percent); Ex. 13:11-12 (first born of livestock); Lev. 19:9-10 (corners of their fields); Deut. 16:10 (freewill gifts)33 percent???

10 Percent?

So how much does God ask of New Testament Christians?

No command…

so God will accept anything

Do you really believe that?

Do you really want to face the Lord on the judgment day with that type of reasoning?

Do we use it an excuse to give less or an opportunity to give more?

10 Percent?

The entire book of Hebrews was written to explain that the New Law is better than the Old Law.

Better High Priest (4:15)

Better Hope (7:19)

Better Promises (8:6)

Better Atonement (9:12)

10 Percent?

Something about which we should think hard and long…

If the Old Testament Israelites were giving almost 33 percent of their income, how could anyone under the New Law (which is better in every way) reason that it would be acceptable to give just whatever we had left over?

10 Percent?

Let this sink in your heart and live there…

Can you imagine a faithful Old Testament Jew who had just been converted to Christ thinking that now since he was a Christian, he could start giving less to God?

What did the Jews do when they began to be converted to Christ?

Acts 2:45

Acts 4:34-35Even the Gentiles gave to God out of their “deep

poverty” (II Cor. 8:2)

How Much DOES GOD

WANT?

Why no command?

How much does He want?

10 percent?

The problem with these questions is that it can lend itself to pride and works by salvation.

If there was a verse that said give exactly 10 percent or 15 percent, some people would give that much – and only that much – and feel they had paid their dues.

But giving to God is not a tax.The proper attitude toward giving is “to

give cheerfully, not grudgingly or of NECESSITY” (I Cor. 9:7)

What if, instead of asking how much God wants, we ask how much has God blessed us and how much do we want Him to bless us even more?

By the way… I Cor. 16:2