PUT GOD FIRST – “Give until God bless you!

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Last two weeks I preached “put God first.” For the last week God spoke to us to serve God and others by giving two hours a week. The week before the last week God spoke to us about prayer life. Today’s sermon title is “Give until God blesses you.” Basically, I will preach about tithing.

I do not like preaching on tithing, I even hate it. And, I would assume, that those in the pew are not too upset that I don’t preach on tithing more often than I do. (Is there an Amen???) When I looked up tithing and tithe in my Bible dictionaries, I found some interesting things. On the same page with the word tithe, were other words like: torment, torture, and tragedy. I thought to myself…now this might preach!

I have been praying for you everyday, even yesterday when I rowed the boat on the river, and I asked many church members, especially “prayer warriors” to pray with me so that the congregation may not be offended and may accept today’s message with the open and receptive heart.

Before delivering the message I want to share with you something. When you go to a doctor for your annual check-up, he or she will often begin to poke, prod, and press various places, all the while asking, "Does this hurt? How about this?" If you cry out in pain, one of two things has happened. Either the doctor has pushed too hard, without the right sensitivity. Or, more likely, there's something wrong, and the doctor will say, "We'd better do some more tests. It's not supposed to hurt there!" So it is when pastor Kong preaches on financial responsibility, and certain members cry out in discomfort, criticizing the message and the messenger. Either the pastor has pushed too hard. Or perhaps there's something wrong. In that case, I say, "My friend, we're in need of the Great Physician because it's not supposed to hurt there."

I. Because Abraham COMMENCED the tithe. (Genesis 14:18-20) Hebrews 7:1-4 Abraham offered his tithe to the Prince of Peace. It is the first account of offering tithe.

II. Because Moses COMMANDED the tithe. (Leviticus 27:30, 34) Moses received the commandments from God to tell the Israelites to offer tithe.

III. Because Malachi CONFIRMED tithing. (Malachi 3:8-10) The minor prophet, Malachi, confirmed to offer tithe by a means of receiving overflowing blessing from God.

IV. Because Jesus COMMENDED tithing. Matthew 22:21 Jesus replied to the Pharisees who asked him to offer tax. In his answer Jesus said, “Give to the emperor what belongs to him and give to God what belongs to God.” By saying this, Jesus commanded us to offer tithe to God.

V. Because Paul urges us to CONTINUE tithing. 2 Corinthians 8:4-5. Paul asked the people in Corinth to offer tithe continually.

All these biblical references from the Old and New Testament tell us that tithing is related to God and faith. The main reason for offering tithe is to “put God first” in our lives. When a pastor preaches on tithe, some people think that the pastor needs an extra income while others think the church needs more financial stability. But I am telling you that Christians offer our tithe because we want to put God first in our lives. In offering our tithe to God, what is the right way to offer our tithe to God?

The best way that you offer your tithe is to take the tithe out first. “Let your tithe be the first check you write when you get paid. Put God first in spending your money.” It is right from a faith point of view. If you have faith in God, you should put God first in your financial situation. If you had always given your tithe last, after everything else had been paid- and when you are about to, or had already, run out of money. You are doing it legalistically, so you put it off as long as you can, and end up giving begrudgingly most of the time. The result is you are giving to God when you have the least to give. You are giving out of your poverty. No wonder it is a continuing chore.

If you have a strong faith, or you want to have a strong faith, put God first in using your money. Give your tithe first, when you have the most to give- to give out of your abundance. Then you will have a great joy in your life. You will see differences in your spiritual life. You are now putting God fist in the very important matter of your money.

Whether God bless you with a high salary or not, you offer 10% of your income to God. D. Rockefeller said, "I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week." W. A. Criswell, A Guidebook for Pastors, p. 154.

Last week Friday I experienced something that I never and ever experienced before. I went to breakfast with Rev. Kim, who is the director of Southeastern Korean-American UM ministry. After the meal, I took the bill and went to the front desk to pay the bill. I gave my debit card. The woman said, “I am sorry. The card is invalid.” “Try again.” She tried but the result was same. I was very embarrassed because he paid the price. He said, “Sometimes, it happened. If you spend too much money at once, the bank does not spend more than the certain amount of money.”

In the afternoon, after I had a consultation with Margaret Biddle, I took her to On the Border, which I told her it was my treat. After the lunch, same thing happened again.

So, last week I got two free meals. I am telling you how you get free meals in a nice restaurant.

In these two occasions I did not know how to handle myself and felt very embarrassed. Then I went to the bank and found out that there was no money in my account. Today I offered tithe. I am tithing out of abundance, not out of poverty because I love to put God first. God is my priority. If I do not offer right now, I believe it will not easy for me to offer tithe.

The great thing about tithing is that we put God first and God blesses us with overflowing blessing. The other great thing about tithing is we pray bout how you spend the other nine-tenths. Have you prayed about what you were going to spend the other 9/10. I know many of you prayed about how much God needed to bless you or asking more money. But I am not sure that how many people are praying for what they are going to do with 9/10 of their income after they offer their tithe to God. If taking the tithe out first sounds right, praying about how you spend the other 9/10 sounds absolutely necessary. Some of us are struggling to live off of 10/10 and sometimes 11/10 or 12/10. How could you manage on only 9/10.

The problem of offering tithe is not the amount of money, but it is that you think and live as an owner. Our belief that everything belongs to God, comes from God, and is dispersed by God. I challenge you to become a steward and reverse the order. Stewards don't act as owners. When you act as a steward instead of an owner, you'll never again offer God the leftovers. Think and live as a steward and invite God into your finances, because God knows what you need, and is committed to meeting your needs. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

10 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.
NIV

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