Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

And our father. We ask now that the words of my mouth, the meditations of our hearts, would be acceptable in your sight, for we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. Have you ever thought about the Lord and specifically thought about all that he has given to you? Well, this week I was focused upon that question, what is it that the Lord gives? And I was greatly surprised to look at the number of references in the scripture that begin with the phrase, I will give you, and then fill in the blank. I will give you, then fill in the blank. Let me give you an example of some of the things that the Lord, through his word, has given to people from Genesis to revelation. He told Adam, I will give you a helpmate, a wife to the Jews.

He said, I will give you this land. And when they were thirsting, he said, I will give you water to Moses, who was overcome with the responsibility of making decisions and counselling, the Lord said, I will give you counsel. He told David, who was running and frightened for his life, I will give you rest from your enemies. To Solomon, who asked for wisdom, the Lord added, on top of that, I will give you riches and wealth, and I will give you honor. The book of Psalms is filled with references of what the Lord will give to his people. The Lord will give mercy and grace. The Lord will give glory. The Lord will give angels to watch over you. The Lord will give sleep to your eyes. And to Ezekiel, the Lord said, I will give you a new heart.

Now, the phrase I will give. And the attribute of God giving to man is not isolated to the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, when we come into the New Testament, we find Jesus repeatedly talking about what he will give. Jesus says, I will give you good gifts. Jesus says, I will give you rest. Jesus says, whatsoever is right, I will give to you. Jesus says, I will give to every man who asks. I will give my peace. I will give, says Jesus, eternal life. Time prevents me from sharing with you all of the teachings of what God promises to give to his people. But there is also another side to giving.

And as we would see the attribute of giving on the part of God, we would expect that God would also have that attribute to be shown by his children, by christians. And so there is great instruction in the scripture of what we as christians are supposed to give to the Lord. Now, the quality of giving is to be found repeatedly in the New Testament, and yet there is in comparison to the number of verses that talk about what you and I are to give. There is one overwhelming truth of the scripture, and in a sense there is something that the Lord wants you and me to give to him. That verse for verse is repeated with such frequency that it is almost as though he has not asked us to do anything other than this one thing. And what is that thing?

This is the phrase give thanks to the Lord. That single phrase, in comparison to what else the Lord asks from us, it is as though he asks nothing else from us other than to give him thanks and to give him the glory that is due his name. Having said that, there are some other things that we are asked to give to the Lord. One of those is found in acts 64. We are asked to give ourselves continually in prayer. In Luke 630, we are told that we are to give to every man who asks from us. And so if you have a coat and someone would ask for it is proper for us to give in two Peter 110. We are to give diligence to our calling and our election.

We are also, according to romans twelve, we are to give our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord, and we are also to give to the Lord our tithes and our offerings. But all of those that I have mentioned are less frequently mentioned than the overriding sense of what it is that the Lord wants from us. And that is that we would give him thanks, that we would give to him the glory that he rightfully deserves. I want to talk with you today not about giving thanks, for we have talked about that on many occasions. But I want to talk with you about one of the least popular subjects, perhaps in the church, and that is the giving of tithes and offerings, the use of our money.

The word tithe simply means one 10th, and we find it is first mentioned in the scripture as Abraham gave to Melchizedek a tithe, he gave one 10th of all that he had possessed. Then we find the word tithe being used repeatedly not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament. In the Old Testament context, the word tithe was simply one 10th of the produce or the property that would be used for the support of the priesthood and to be used for religious purposes. And so we find many references in the Old Testament. I think it’s important for us to understand that there is an Old Testament teaching about the tithe, and then to understand how that would apply to the New Testament.

First, if you look at Leviticus 27 versus 30 through versus 33, we find that the giving of a tithe of one 10th of our possessions. Under the teaching of Moses, this was not for a decision by a person whether they would or they would not give. But rather the teaching is that it was obligatory that a person had a responsibility to give one 10th to the Lord, and he was to give one 10th of all of the produce that was grown upon his land, and if he owned flocks or herd, that one 10th of those animals were to be given to the Lord. And so we read in Leviticus 27 30, and all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruits of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy. H-O-L-Y holy to the Lord.

And so the great principle of tithing that must be understood in the Old Testament is that the tithe that was given to the Lord was considered to be holy, that it rightfully belonged to the Lord. Now, how was that tithe given? Well, in the case of cattle and sheep and oxen, the animals of the herd, well, they passed under a rod, and every 10th animal that passed underneath that rod, whether he was perfect or defective, was taken out of line and automatically given to the tithe. The second principle of tithing from the Old Testament, according to Leviticus 20 314, was that no part of that tithe, whether it was the crop or the herd, was to be first used by men, but rather it was to be given first to the Lord.

And so before a farmer would sell his grain or a herdsman would sell his oxen at the market, he would first bring his tithe to the Lord. The third principle of Old Testament tithing is taken from the Book of Numbers, chapter 18, verses 21 through 32. And that is that there was a purpose behind the use of the tithe. One of the purposes was that tithe would be used to pay the Levites, the priests who were leading in worship, and they were being recompensed for their service in the sanctuary. And so we read in numbers 1821, behold, I have given to the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

There was also a fourth principle behind Old Testament tithing, and that principle was that all of the tithes and the offerings were to be brought to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, that there was one place where they were to be received, and from that place they were then to be dispersed. We read in Deuteronomy 1211, there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make his name abide. There you shall bring all that I command your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord.

The fifth principle of Old Testament tithing is that along with the use of that tithe for the payment of the Levites, according to Deuteronomy 1429, there was another purpose for the use of that tithe, that purpose to aid the stranger, the widows, the orphans and the poor. And so the use of that tithe was not only in the maintenance of worship, but also in expanding to outside of the tabernacle ministry to those in need. The final principle from the Old Testament about tithing is taken from the book of Malachi. That principle is that in times of unbelief, in times of apostasy, in times where there was little interest in the teaching of the Lord, during those times, people neglected to give their tithe.

And so in the book of Malachi, a prophet who was writing during a time when people had forgotten all that the Lord had done, it is in that context that we read in Malachi, chapter one, verse six, the Lord is speaking, and he says, a son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I, the Lord, am your father, where is my honor? If I, the Lord, am your master, where is my reverence? Says the Lord of hosts. One of the great sins that had happened at the time of Malachi was that people came to worship empty handed. They came simply to receive, and they did not give. And later on in that book, we would read that the Lord would have an indictment against that group of people. As he says, you have robbed me.

And they ask mysteriously, in what way have we robbed you? He says, you have robbed me by not bringing to me the tithes and the offerings. And so as the people became casual about the Lord, as they took for granted worship, they also took for granted the giving to the Lord of the things that are rightfully his. Well, when we turn to the New Testament, what do we find as far as a teaching on the tithe? Is the tithe simply relegated to the Old Testament part of the law, that Christ is simply crucified, and now we are free from that obligation? Well, let’s look at what Jesus had to say. In the book of Matthew, chapter 23, Jesus is talking to the scribes and the Pharisees, the scribes and Pharisees who had neglected to instruct in many areas.

As a matter of fact, they had become hypocrites. And in that context, Jesus commends the scribes and Pharisees for one thing that they did. He commends them in Matthew 23 for giving their tithe. He says, this is right. This is what you ought to do. And having commended them for the giving of their tithe, he then condemns them because even though they had legally given their tithe, they had neglected the much more important aspects, the aspects of justice and mercy and the teaching of faith, that they had legally complied with the tithe. But in their ministry and their walk day to day had forgotten justice and mercy and faith.

And so the first principle of New Testament giving is that whatever we would give to the Lord, we have a responsibility always to give in a spirit where our greater priority in our own living is to ensure that we are living a life that is seeking justice and mercy and faith. But there is a second principle of giving from the New Testament, and that is also taught by Jesus, and that is that we should give humbly and quietly, not to be noticed by men. Luke, 1810 through 14, Jesus tells about two men who went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and he prayed in this manner. God, I thank you that I’m not like that other man, those extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week, he said, I give tithes of all that I possess. But there was another man, a tax collector, and he was standing afar off. He would not even raise his eye to heaven, but he beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus says, I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified rather than the other man, for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. And so whatever we give not to lift ourselves up or to be publicly acclaimed, but we simply give quietly, humbly, as the Lord would direct, and that we should not stand upon a corner and announce what we have given.

The third principle of New Testament giving is to understand that all that we own belongs to the Lord, and that giving is not set at a predetermined 10% rate. Rather, there is a spirit in New Testament giving to the Lord. And that spirit is that we give in proportion to what the Lord has given to us. Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus is only referred to once in the scripture, in the book of Luke, chapter 19, the tax collector, a rich man who made his money by intimidating the populace and gathering as much money as he could. Strangle out of that community. Well, we have all learned a little song about Zacchaeus. A wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree the Lord, he wanted to see.

And as the savior passed his way, he looked up in the tree and he said, Zacchaeus, come down. I’m going to your house today. That usually is where we stop singing. But what happened when the Lord went to the house of Zacchaeus? Well, we are told that Zacchaeus stood before the Lord, and he said, this lord, I give half of all of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything by falsehood, I will restore it fourfold. And so Zacchaeus, who puts his faith in the living Christ, his first response is that I know that I have gotten my money by evil gain, and as a result, I will give one half of everything that I have to the poor and anybody who I have defrauded. I will give them four times the amount of the money that I took from them.

Now, if we are looking to the New Testament for an example of what percentage a person is to give to the Lord, Zacchaeus stands as 50%. Now, there is another principle of New Testament giving. And that principle is that if you and I are simply giving from our excess, if we are giving from our excess, then we have missed one of the primary teachings of Jesus about giving, which is to give more than we can afford to give. Usually the giving that is contributed to the church is after we have paid all the bills. And if there is something left over, then we give. Do you remember the story in mark, chapter twelve, verse 41 through 44? Jesus sat opposite the treasury, and he watched how people put money into the treasury. And he says, many who were rich put in much.

Then one poor widow came and threw in two very small copper coins, a might. And so he then called his disciples, and he said to them, assuredly, I say to you that this poor woman has put in more than all these who have given to the treasury, for they put in out of their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. Could you imagine standing before a congregation and saying that the principle of giving that the Lord wants to encourage in your life and in mine is that we would first see that the tithe, that which is rightfully the Lord’s, is a primary bill that we owe to the Lord. The Lord sees it as holy. The Lord calls us to give that not after we have paid our bills, but before.

And then he asks us to live on the remaining 910. For those who would give an offering is over and above the tithe, and we are free to give whatever offering we like. Can you imagine saying that someone who comes, a feeble old woman who comes with her check at the close of the service, and she presents that and places it in the offering that Jesus said, that is the spirit that is captured in giving? There is a fifth principle of giving from the New Testament, and that is that giving is to be voluntary and that it should be planned. Two Corinthians nine, seven. Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. Do you have a plan in the way that you are giving to the Lord?

Now let me ask a question. Why should we give? Perhaps the simplest answer to that question is we should give because that is what the Lord wants us to do. How much should I give? That is up to you. It is voluntary, but the Lord wants and asks for his tithe. Do you realize how much of the ministry is dependent upon money? We are totally dependent upon the grace of the Lord. We are totally dependent in our salvation for grace and mercy and compassion and all of these gifts the Lord gives to us. But the church, as it would share the gospel of Christ, is seeking to minister in buildings that cost rent, minister with curriculums that cost money.

Do you realize that the ministry in our own community, the Alpha Pregnancy center, has wanted for a year to be able to go and to minister in Trenton the Gospel of Christ and to help young women as they would face crisis pregnancies. If they were to go into that community, they would be able to help almost five times the number of women who are facing crisis pregnancies. Currently, that small center is able to help one out of four women. Each four days. One woman is helped and one baby’s life is saved through the ministry of that center. The goal for this past year has been that they would be able to help one woman and save the life of one baby each day. If they could open an office in Trenton, that would happen. But why hasn’t it happened? Because there’s no money.

And so for a year, a godly goal has been held back. I spoke this week to a number of missionary boards to ask them about men and women, families that have said, we want to go to the mission field. Let me read to you just a few of those people. And all of these are people who are being held back for lack of one thing, money. Greg Depew and his wife with three children. Greg is a certified public accountant. He has already spent several years as a missionary in Quito, Ecuador. He cannot return to the mission field because he is lacking $822 a month. And so for over a year, he has been going to churches trying as best as he can to raise those finances. Bill Edgar was converted at Park Street Church in Boston. He’s a Harvard graduate.

He is a seminary professor. He has already served for several years in France at the only evangelical seminary in the entire country of France. The seminary is called x. He is not able to return to the mission field because he is lacking one $300 a month. Bud Frank is the father of six children. He is a second generation Wycliffe Bible translator. He has spent many years on the coast of Africa, the Ivory coast, and what is his job? He has been working in Bible translation for years, but over the course of years, his financial support has dropped off from various churches, forcing him to return to the states and try to raise his finances. He has been on hold for over a year before he would return, and it is indefinite at this point if he will return.

Jim Cobb from Ohio and his family, three boys, has been involved in rural church planning in Korea. Did you realize in Korea there are some 605 towns that have no christian witness at all? Even though many of the cities of Korea have had great ministries of evangelical churches, there are still vast parts of that country that have no evangelical christian witness. Jim Cobb would like to return to Korea, but he cannot return until his funds are raised. Peter Jones has a doctorate. He is wanting to start the first christian school system in France. He’s experienced, he’s capable, and he’s not able to go. Not because he has not received the grace of the Lord, which he certainly has not because he is unqualified to go because he is qualified, not because he is not capable. He is highly capable.

Not because he has not prayed, but he has not gone because he has no money to go. I was told about Bill Edgar, who was, as I mentioned, a Harvard graduate. He wanted to go to the mission field. He went to a mission board, and he thought that the biggest decision that he would have to make in his life was the decision, we will go. And so he and his wife agonized about it. He gave up a fine job, and they decided, we will go. They went to a mission board. They explained, we have made the decision to be of service, take use us wherever we can be of help. And they said, that’s wonderful. And now you have to go and raise your support. They looked at each other. Tears filled their eyes as they realized, you mean you don’t help? No.

You must go to churches and you must tell them, hopefully in a winsome way, hopefully in a way that they will like you, that you need their support. Well, how long is this going to take? Well, if you’re lucky, it will take a year, most two years, some three years, and a few five years. The church of Jesus Christ will be built by the Lord. But the Lord calls upon us as his church, as his body, as his representative upon this earth, that we would give. That we would give to the Lord our tithes, that we would give to the Lord our offerings. If you are giving, then that is wonderful. And the Lord not only says thanks, but those who have been receiving say thanks, but those of you who are not giving to the Lord. Will you begin giving to the Lord?

Let us pray. Our God and our father, we come before you as men and women who face the monthly responsibilities of deciding what we shall do with the monies that you have given to us. Help us, we pray to have godly priorities, to use our money in a way that would bring honor and glory to Christ, that would allow for the expansion of the gospel, that would continue to aid the church in its ministry to the community and to the world. For we ask and we want to give in that spirit. Amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton ministries Post office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. That’s Princeton Ministries, post office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. The Lord bless you and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you. We would like to thank Rone’s web development company for making this webcast possible. You can find their link at the bottom of our website, princetonministries.org.