Tithing: You Can't Out Give God (6 December 2009)

Brother Adams taught a great lesson on tithing Sunday morning. We did not quite finish covering the subject so he will continue to teach on it this Sunday (13 December) as well.
______________________
Key Text:
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
(Mal 3:8-10)

What does "tithe" mean?
-The tithe is 1/10 of all of your increase.
Hebrews 7:2-4; Abraham paid one tenth of his spoils to Melchisedek
Genesis 28:22; Jacob promised to give one-tenth of everything he had to God

When did tithing originate, when was it practiced, and who practiced it?
-Tithing began before the law when Abraham gave his tithe to Melchisedek.
Genesis 14:20; (Hebrews 7; read this whole chapter and you will see that Melchisedek was an Old Testament "shadow" of Jesus Christ)
Genesis 28:22;
-Tithing was also practiced under the law of Moses.
Leviticus 27:30-34; under the law additional requirements were added beyond the basic 10 percent tithe. However, these added requirements were not carried over into the New Testament.
Numbers 18:20-24; the Levites received the tithe from all the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 12:5-6; the tithe was to be brought to the tabernacle of God.
-The tithe continues as Biblical principle for God's people in the New Testament.
Matthew 23:23; Jesus aknowledges to the Pharisees that tithing is a commendable thing
Galatians 3:7; John 8:39; We are Abraham's children, and Jesus said that Abraham's children will do the works of Abraham. This includes paying tithes.
1 Corinthians 9:1-14; 2 Corinthians 12:13; Paul teaches that the church should financially support the ministry. Here he draws a direct correlation from the ministry of the Old Testament to the ministry in the New Testament. (also see 1 Timothy 5:17-18)

"God loveth a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:7
The tithe should come from the "firstfruits" Exodus 22:29-30 - God should receive His portion of our wages or profits before anyone or anything else.
The tithe should not be confused with the offering or voluntary charity. The tithe is a required, set amount that is to go exclusively to the ministry for their upkeep and the furtherance of the gospel. (they which preach the gospel, should live of the gospel - I Corinthians 9:14)

Results of tithing:
God will open the windows of heaven on those who give faithfully to his kingdom.
Malachi 3:8-10
Luke 6:38

The Sabbath (20 December 2009)

Key Verses:
Old Testament
Genesis 2:2,3... God finished His work on the seventh day and sanctified it
Exodus 16:22-30... People forbidden to gather manna on the Sabbath (before the law was given)
Exodus 20:8-11... The Ten Commandments: "Remember the Sabbath Day"
Exodus 31:12-17... The Sabbath is a sign of God's covenant with Israel
New Testament
Matthew 12:1-13... Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees for not observing the Sabbath
Colossians 2:16,17
Romans 14:15,16

We will discuss the history of the Sabbath throughout Scripture, and how the Sabbath affects the Christian's life. Are we required to observe it or not? Why do we observe a "Sabbath" on Sunday rather than on the seventh day, Saturday?

If you have any more questions that you would like for us to try to answer concerning this topic, just post them as a comment below this post.

Goal of this Blog

Several people in our Sunday morning discipleship class have mentioned that they would like to know what we will be learning about at least a week in advance. That way you will be able to study key Scriptures, pray, and think on the topic and be ready with questions and thoughts when we meet in class.
I agree with you, and think that this would make the class more of a learning experience because the entire class would be able to become more involved in the discussion.
I will post the Scriptural theme and key verses of Scripture that we will be studying on the following Sunday, so that you can study in advance.
I will also try to post the complete notes along with key points of discussion after the lesson, so you can come back and study them further if you want, and those who were not able to attend can see what we studied in class.
The blog will allow you to post questions and comments as well, so we can know what questions we need to come prepared to answer and we can continue the discussion on the blog even after we have completed the lesson in class.