Whose Money Is It? : A Mindset Change
by Emily: Vineyard Missions

I was considering the sermon topic – Pressure Points: Coping With Uncertainty, and my first intuition is that I wanted to talk about thankfulness, having a grateful heart for what we have.


But the more I thought about it through the week, I had a hard time separating thankfulness from generosity, because a thankful heart that recognizes God’s provision is a generous heart.  Then I started thinking about money, which started me thinking about tithing, and my mind parked there for a couple of days.  So, I started freaking out, because who wants to preach on such a taboo subject?  But I really feel like that’s where the Spirit led me, so we’re going to address five different questions about tithing:

Whose money is it?

Does God need my money?

Why is a tithe 10%?

What’s the kingdom purpose of money?

What does this have to do with coping with uncertainty?

Ken touched on tithing last week, but it’s a sticky subject for a pastor b/c their salaries are tied to tithing.  So, whether or not it’s true, there’ll always be people who wonder whether they’re talking out of self-interest.

    - hurt from past church experiences

    - hurt from corporate church experiences

    - human institutions, so it’s always a risk

    But doesn’t negate tithing as an important spiritual discipline. It’s a topic I’m passionate about because I’ve seen the fruit of it in my own life.

    If you don’t already tithe, I’m handing you a key to spiritual blessing this morning.  Over and over, the Bible says not to test God.  Jesus even quotes this back to Satan when he’s being tested in the wilderness.  It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test. 

    But there is one place in the Bible that says we SHOULD test God. 

    Malachi 3:6-10.

    Whose money is it?

    MINDSET CHANGE

    It all starts with our view of everything: money, time, relationships, our families, etc.  We think: it’s ours!

    In the West, particularly in America, our national narrative tells us that everything we earn belongs to us.  We deserve it.  Remember the old McDonald’s commercial: You deserve a break today. – 5th most successful advertising campaign of the 20th century.  Vacation?  You’ve earned it.  Salary increase?  You’ve earned it.  Nice car?  You deserve it.  Pampering.  You definitely deserve it – you’ve had a hard day.  It’s like Loreal’s slogan: Because I’m worth it.

    Ps. 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”

    I Chronicles 29:10-17 (David’s prayer for the temple)
    a great warrior and a great king yet realized all he had came from God and was thankful for it.

    The difference between being spoiled and being blessed is thankfulness.  It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have these things – that he doesn’t want us to have a salary increase or doesn’t want us to take vacations (in fact, I think vacations are important), but do we take them because we feel we’re entitled to them or because we view them as a way God allows us to be refreshed to continue the work of his kingdom? 

    We are a very entitled people.
    Those of you who have children will especially understand this.
    Money has been entrusted to us to steward, but it doesn’t belong to us.

    Does God need my money?

    God doesn’t need our money, but for whatever mysterious reason he chooses to partner with is in bringing about his kingdom b/c it brings blessing to us.
    He could cause us to discover an oil field under the church, but he wants us to participate with him, and he’s wired us such that, when we give with a thankful heart, it brings us both blessing and freedom from the stresses of money.


    Hear me and hear me well: God gives us wisdom in planning and in investing money.  It’s a good thing.  Money comes from God, too.  It’s not a bad thing.
    But, there’s a reason that money is one of the things Jesus talks about the most.  He knows what a grip it can have on humans.  He says: You cannot serve both God and money.
    If you find that …

    your mood is often affected by money issues, your self-esteem is tied to your paycheck or savings, you think about money a lot, especially if it brings anxiety
    you hesitate to give money away when you know God’s asking you to then I would encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to shift your thinking


    If money always feels short and you worry about how to pay bills from month to month ask him to bring comfort.  I’d also advise you take Wilfried Brunssen’s finance class at the church when he runs it again, or seek help from someone in the church who’s good with finances.  You’re not alone.
    So, no, God doesn’t need our money.
    Rather, giving money is an act of worship to him.  He’s always more concerned about the state of our heart.

    Why 10%?

    10% is the traditional tithe amount taught by the church.  An offering is usually considered over and above 10%, which is why you may hear the pastors ask God to bless our tithes and offerings when they pray.


    Abraham – Genesis 14:18-20 – Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.  He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”  Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

    Hebrews 7:3 – Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

    Jewish Law – Lev. 27:30-32 – " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod—will be holy to the LORD.

    Luke 11:42 – "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

    What’s the kingdom purpose of money?
    Luke 16:1-13 – asset manager parable


    Two questions
    Is my money being used to build relationships?
    Am I being generous?

    What's this have to do with coping with uncertainty?

    My first instinct when I’m running low on money, or feeling uncertain about a situation, is to tithe.  It’s a spiritual inheritance I’ve received from my mom and dad.
    I should honor my parents because I learned about tithing from them.  Even as a kid, I learned to give 10% of my allowance.  It’s just something you did because it belonged to God.


    When I got older, I realized how much my own parents live this truth out in their lives.  They not only tithe, but give money to missionaries, orphanages, college fellowships like InterVarsity, and they lent money to folks who needed it.  My dad felt it was part of his call to earn a lot of money so he could support the kingdom of God financially. 


    Now, my parents have been through some tough financial situations over the past two years.  I was just in Indianapolis over the holidays talking with my mom about finances and helping her budget, and she said that she knows that she knows that she knows that God has had His hand on them through this time in part because they’ve always been faithful with their money.  I believe that, too.  They won’t be wealthy by any stretch, but they’ll be fine.  And through this hard season, I’ve had a deep peace about their finances.  When you trust God with your money, it really does remove the stresses of it. 


     And I can testify for myself as well.  Learn from my mistake! 


    you reap what you sow

    If you want to develop a heart for something, a good place to start is to give money

    Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.