← River Valley Church
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- [00:00]
A
Hey, River Valley. We are starting our giving series right now. And to start it off, I always love this every year because it's so important that we get this right because of where we live and what we have in our hands and what God wants us to do as biblical stewards. And so as we get this started, I thought it was great to have a testimony from a couple of people from our congregation. We have Carl Sharperson from our city campus. He and his wife and their son attend there. And then Megan Holly is here. Her and her husband and three children attend the crosstown campus. I asked the staff, like, who really loves tithing and just has something? And they said, you two, like, you came right to the top. And so, Carl, talk about, like, how did you get convinced? Like, I'm gonna tithe. I'm gonna do this.
- [00:45]
B
Yeah. I grew up in the church, and I always tithe, but on the net. And my thought process was, any money that I have that's in my hand, I give 10% of that. It wasn't fast forward until I got the River Valley. This was right before COVID I was at Life Fitness with my friend Dan. We started talking about tithing. He said, hey, I want to challenge you to tithe on the gross. And that's really what jump started everything for me. And the thought process was, we pay our taxes right off the gross, so why not give God 10% off the gross as well?
- [01:17]
A
Sure. I jokingly used to say, do you want gross help from God or net help from God? But, you know, my thing is, like, I have that same thought. I just want to go for the first and do it that way. Megan, how did it start for you that you and your family, you're like, we're in it. How did you get so excited about this?
- [01:32]
C
Okay, so I did grow up in the church, and I did grow up tithing, but I didn't get incredibly passionate about it until I had the opportunity to go to Turkey this last year with crosstown. And we were there for a global team. And while we were there, they talked about the percentage of Christians who tithe regularly, and the number that they gave was so low that my. I think I audibly gasped. And I'm sitting in another country where I can see what the change would be if we were all consistently tithing. And I was like, there's no way I can stay quiet about this. We need to be talking about this every week, all the time. We need to be just discussing the importance of what the tithe is and what it can do.
- [02:16]
A
So you've both been convinced of the importance of it. Cause I've said we start with that Old Testament principle of tithing. And our campus pastors today are gonna talk about the theology that it predates the law and all that. So you said that you were convinced of it, but how have you felt like? Let's talk about, like, what did you feel like? Was it drudgery or was this, like. You both seem to have a great joy, Megan. Like, talk about the joy of, like, what do you feel?
- [02:43]
C
So there were definitely times in the beginning of our marriage where I would be like, what are we doing? We're eating creamed corn at the end of the month because we have no money, but we kept consistently giving. And I've never not felt joy like it. Just to be able to give that first 10% can't really explain it, but.
- [03:01]
A
I just feel like I'd rather eat creamed corn, not tithe.
- [03:04]
C
Exactly.
- [03:05]
A
Dave Ramsey would like that shoe of serious. No, I love that, because I think a lot of us say, I can't tithe because of my budget. And I'm like, no, get your budget in a position so you can tithe. Great thoughts, Carl. Like, what have you felt?
- [03:18]
B
Yes, well, I feel joy, but also a lot of peace because scripture talks about the devourer is rebuked. And so I just rest assured knowing that whatever comes in my life, whatever comes with my family, whatever happens at work, I know that I'm walking in victory because I'm under the umbrella and the shield of the tithe and go promises to cover us in whatever that looks like.
- [03:38]
A
Yeah. I've always said tithing is saying, you're my source. Like, you're my. I may have talents, but you're my source. And now I trust you as my source. How has God responded to your tithing? Have you been able to say, like, you went from creamed corn to this, Like. And I'm not saying prosperity. I'm just saying, like, Carl, you mentioned peace. So that's not even financial. That's outside of the realm. But talk about things on, how have you seen God respond and bless your life in this way?
- [04:07]
C
There's been seasons where we've walked through in our life that have been difficult and we've had to really lean on the Lord. And I'm not talking just financially, just with our family. And I know that being obedient in this area has given us the opportunity to see growth in other areas. Like, we're trusting the Lord for these things. And he's providing them, he's giving us safety, he's coming around us when we need support.
- [04:31]
A
Yeah, that's a really important thing because you said we're trusting in the Lord and so many of us trust him as our savior for eternity. And then we're like, we got it from here until we get to heaven. And tithing says, I trust you in a day to day. And that's a great lesson that you're learning.
- [04:47]
B
Yeah, I think tithing's helped me relationally. I think it softened my heart to truly be discipled and allow the Holy Spirit to do new work in my life. Specifically in situations where I might have a hardened heart or be holding on to some resentment or unforgiveness with other people, people in my life, family members, what have you, things at work. And so because I continually submit to the tithe, it's easy for me to say, you know what, I was wrong. Hey, I'm sorry. Hey, I apologize. Like God, I humble myself before you because I know that you're the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and you want what's best for me. I'm out of line here. Let me come back in alignment with you. And since then, and since I've been kind of discipled at this church, I've met my wife, we have a son now, and financially we are debt free. Now when we got married, it was a lot of student loan debt and we were tied through that or a version of it. We did Dave Ramsey ish. We did Dave Ramsey ish. I'm telling you, man. And recently I just got my dream job and it's. Let me tell you, tithing works.
- [05:49]
A
So you said something there and I want to jump on this and I, There's a lot of people, they're not under authority of anything, but tithing puts you under. You literally are saying, God, I trust you. And you said something as a man, like, it's led to obedience in other areas. I hear a lot of men, they're like, why? I don't wanna do this? And a lot of times the wives are like, I want to do this. And I think there's a breakthrough for a lot of the men in our church to say, I wanna come under the authority, I wanna honor God, that he is my source. And it's not, I'm not doing this for financial gain or blessing. I want other benefits like you just stated that have come. You're able to even confess your faults and to be a tender husband and a tender father. I was Wrong. There's a lot of men that would be a breakthrough in their life. So you have an opportunity to say something to the church right now. And what would you say to the church about like, hey, this is something you should do. Follow our example, Jump into the water.
- [06:48]
B
Like, yeah, I'd say you tithe to who you pray to. A lot of times people come to me and they say, oh, I split up my tithe. I go to this civic organization, I go to this organization. I go to this organization that does good work. But when you're in a jam, when that family member sick, when you need a breakthrough, breakthrough in your life, who do you pray to? If you pray to Jesus Christ, then you should tithe to Jesus Christ. And the church is the bride of Christ and it's his entity that he set up on earth to represent himself. And so it's a privilege and an honor to tithe and please, for yourself and for your family, join God on the tithing journey.
- [07:27]
A
Yeah, I love that we used to say, you know, if you go to a grocery store, you pay the bill at the grocery store, you know, and typing's not a bill, but you're like, wherever you're at, where are you receiving from? And I think it's important that a church is. We are the thing that he's building the church.
- [07:43]
B
Yes, sir.
- [07:44]
A
And if you're part of a local church, you do it there and then you fuel it forward. I think you had said earlier, like, you saw how much of a difference it would make in Turkey. It makes a difference. A well funded church can be a instrument of great good.
- [07:58]
B
Yes, sir. Yes.
- [07:59]
A
And if we all would tithe and do that, we would see that.
- [08:02]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [08:03]
A
What would you encourage people as far as in tithing?
- [08:05]
C
Okay. I would say, I would keep it simple. I would say tithing will change your heart, but it will also change the world. And that as Christians, that is our goal. We want to see as many people saved as we can. And this is where it starts. It starts here in your church and being obedient in this. And it's a joy to do this.
- [08:28]
A
I'm so excited that both of you have such a joy for tithing. I love that I have it too. But I get accused of like, well, of course you do, because the church people tithe and then you actually can get paid. Well, it's not like I get a bonus based on tithe. You know, it's set by somebody else. But I just love that you're saying this, hey, follow us like we wanna do this. And it's not out of law that you're doing it. It's out of love and out of relationship. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this and to encourage our congregation. And if I could say to the church, I hope you feel encouraged by their testimonies and by their encouragement. They wanted to come in here. They said, pick me, pick me. We love to do this and I pray that we'd have that attitude in our church. We love that we tithe. We love that we support the church. We love that we can go over and above that because we're on mission to build his church.
- [09:24]
D
Come on. Can we thank Carl and Megan for sharing their testimony? Takes courage, boldness to be able to do that. And we're already into the message, so I'm just gonna jump in. And again, thank you for joining us on this three week stewardship giving generosity series. What does the Bible have to say about the resources that come from God? I wanna welcome a couple other campuses right now that are joining with us as well. In just a moment, I'm gonna break down. I don't wanna re preach because Carl was preaching a little bit. Megan, they were preaching a little bit. They had the word of God in there. In just a moment, I'd like to break down the narrative and teach from the story of the first tithe recorded in scripture and that's found in Genesis chapter four. But I just want to reiterate quickly that we wholeheartedly and unashamedly believe in the tithe. As River Valley Church and as Christ followers. You might ask why. Why are you so bold or vocal about this? It's because it is a kingdom principle. It goes just beyond, not just your finances, it goes way beyond. We see time and time again all throughout Scripture, the miracle working power of God, what he can do. When we say, God, I'm gonna give you my life, God, I'm gonna be okay for right now with less. I'm gonna put it into your hands and it's amazing what God can do with just a little and how he can bless your life. I think of the kingdom principle multiply. We just went through 21 days of prayer and fasting as a church. God, I'm going to eat less for a period of time believing that you are gonna do more in and through my life. It's a kingdom principle. God, I'm gonna honor you with the first 10%. And I'm gonna believe that what you can do with the remaining 90% in and through my Life is way beyond what I could do by keeping all 100. I'm gonna honor you with that. I think about the principle of the Sabbath. The Sabbath, hey, work hard six days a week, but on the seventh day, rest. God modeled that principle, and he said, if you're gonna live for. If you're gonna live for Jesus the rest of your life, you want healthy rhythms. Work hard six days and rest one. It's this principle time and time again. The Israelites that were wandering in the wilderness before they could get to the promised land, they're like, where's our food? How are we going to survive? And some people think about that. Even that phrase, that sentence, how are we going to make it if we start tithing? But the Bible shows us. God's like, I'm going to provide manna. I'm going to provide food for you, but I don't want you to hoard it. I want you to pick up just enough for the day. If you take more than that, the rest is going to spoil. And on the sixth day, get two days worth so that you don't have to go and gather on the Sabbath day. It's time and time and time again. Gideon. The story of Gideon, God uses him to defeat 100,000 of the Midianite enemy army. They defeat 100,000 with how many men? 300 men? God can do way more if we would depend on him and trust him and do what he asks us to do. And living for him, it's an opportunity. Why? Why are we unashamed about this? It's an opportunity to give your glory to God. That word glory, it means. It means something that is weighty. What is the glory that God has given you? That means something in a lot of ways. It's the gifts and the talents that he's placed in your life and as an exchange for your gifts and talents in the marketplace and in culture and in society. In exchange for your gifts and talents is an income. And so you are paid for the gifts and talents that it's not, hey, I'm so awesome. I'm so gifted. I'm so talented. It's no God you've gifted me. You've wired me this way. You've opened up the door for this job and this opportunity. In exchange, I'm paid. I've received that. And, God, I'm not gonna act like I did it. I'm gonna act like a steward and say, God, you gave me the gifts and talents. I'm gonna honor you with the first 10%. Everybody, okay? I know there's many in our church that live this out faithfully. And I was raised in the church and we, you know, we got allowances. We had a little tithe jar and we'd get our allowance. We'd put. Put the 10% in a little tithe jar and we'd bring that to kids church. That's how we were raised. I know there's all walks of life here in, in this room. There's people in the room right now that are like, I'm not about this. This is what I thought the church was all about. There's other people. You're not yet tithing, but you're hungry for truth. You're hungry for life. You're hungry for something that is gonna sustain, something that's gonna bring joy and peace like what they talked about. And for you, that's who I'm talking to. Those that are hungry to find out that there's a different way of living than how the world lives, that we can put our whole lives in the hands of God and he will sustain us. He will take care of us. Here's the context of the first tithe. Genesis, chapter 14. There's this war that happens between five armies versus four armies and the losing armies. Two characters that were put into captivity was one, was the king of Sodom not a good guy, and he was in captivity. And they were plundered. They took all of their possessions, all of their goods. But another person that was living in Sodom at the time was Abraham's nephew, Lot. And so Lot was in captivity as well. And Abraham hears about this battle that went down and finds out that some of his family have been captured. And he gathers 318 men. That's just. That's the number. I don't know. That's the number. 318 men roll with Abraham and they go and defeat the victorious armies. They do it by the power of God. And the king of Sodom is saved. Lot is saved. And what we're about to read is the aftermath of this victory that God gives Abraham. And the three main characters I just want you to pay attention to in this reading of scripture is one, Abraham. Two, the king of Sodom. And who is the king of Salem or the high priest at the time? His name's Melchizedek. And so let's read In Genesis, chapter 14, verses 17 through 24, after Abraham's return from the defeat of that guy. You guys can read it. Let's all say it at the same time. I'm just kidding. And the kings who were with him. The king of Sodom, there's one character went out to meet Abraham at the valley of Shava. That is the king's valley. In the next character, Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of the God Most High. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram, by God most High, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And here's the first tithe, the first gift of 10%. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom, a different character with different motivations, a different pursuit, said to Abram, give me. Give me the people. I want my people back. But I'm so generous. You can, you can keep all the possessions and the goods. There's a lot of people that, that they're going to get what they want and they're going to live under the facade of being a generous person. And that's the king of Sodom. He's trying to get some leverage in his relationship with Abram, Abraham. And this is Abram's response. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I've lifted my hand to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours. Lest you should say, I've made Abram rich. I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me. He refuses that offer from the king of Sodom. And I think that that's a good insight for business leaders, entrepreneurs, when you're doing business deals. It's like Abram could have responded. Look, God's given my. This enemy king such favor on my life that he's gonna give me all these possessions. But no, he refuses. And he honors the lord by giving 10%. Just wanna talk about pre law. Like Pastor Rob said, I'm gonna share just a script. The most famous scripture, probably about the tithe that is in the law portion of the scripture. And then I wanna talk about the new covenant and what we see in Jesus. The pre law moment. This is before Moses. God delivers the law through Moses, this covenant with Moses. But before that happens, there's this guy named Father Abraham. Had many sons, many sons. Had five, and I'm one of them, and so are you. Okay, Some of you church people got way too excited. That's okay. Father Abraham, he's known as this father of faith. Hebrews, talks About Abraham in that way. He's like, in the hall of faith in the book of Hebrews. And the Bible's clear that as this, like our genealogy as Christ followers, it can trace back to Abraham. How did he live and how should we. There are things about his life. He was not perfect. There's things that we'll avoid, but there are things that he modeled, that are affirmed throughout Scripture that we say, I want to be like that. And can I be honest? There's two that I'll give you an example that are way harder than giving 10% to the Lord. God came to Abram and said In Genesis, chapter 12, verse 1, now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. He says to Abram, get up and move. It's time to move. Abram's like, where are we going? God's like, I'll let you know, but it's time to go. And Abram immediately. Immediately obeys. Immediately obeys man. We should model that in our life. No matter where God calls us, no matter what he asks us to do, no matter where he calls our family to go or what position, what job, what career, how to steward all of our resources, we should be like Abram and say, listen, I don't have all the details, but God spoke to me, and I'm gonna do it. It may not make sense to the world around you, it may not make sense to friends and family, but what God speaks to your heart. The vision for this year is, speak, Lord. We're listening. God's gonna speak things that maybe make no sense to anybody else, but by faith. You say, God, I hear your voice, and I'm gonna do what you've asked me to do. I think that's harder. Moving your whole family to a place you don't even know where you're going, but you've packed up your house. I think that's harder than saying, God, I'm going to honor you with the first 10%. Another one is when God calls him to sacrifice his son. And we should model Father Abraham's response. Genesis 22:1 and 2. After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, abraham. And he said, here I am. He said, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you, Abraham, immediately, it says, the next morning, packed up and walked his son to the top of a mountain to offer him as a, as a sacrifice to the Lord. And the Lord offers the ram in the thicket. And he doesn't have to do that, but he was gonna do that. That's an aspect of Father Abraham that we should be willing to model that. God, there is nothing in my life that I have, whether it's my children, my spouse, my family, my career, my house, the things in my life, the influence. There is nothing in our life that we should not be willing to say, God, you can have it all. You can have it all. I think those are like epic things. But Abram, he gives a tenth. And I know that it triggers people. It's like, why are you gonna go there? God gets every nook and cranny of your heart as a Christ follower. And he is trustworthy and he is faithful. Abraham honors the Lord giving a tenth because it's what's in his heart to do. Can I just Talk about this? 2nd Corinthians 9:6 talks about the heart of a giver. The point is this. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he's decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. This message, this series, is not for compulsion. It's not for pressure. It's to preach the unadulterated word of God and to teach from His Word the way that leads to life and allow you to hear from God and to respond, no, no, we should. We should do what God loves to be a cheerful giver. We're going to be a cheerful giver. Capital One asks, what's in your wallet? God asks, what's in your heart? Melchizedek is a. Is a type of Christ. And I know we're running out of time here. Melchizedek is a type of Christ and some even say a theophany, pre incarnate Christ, where he's visible almost like in the the fourth man in the fire, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This is what Hebrews 7 says about Melchizedek. For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. It's recounting Genesis 14. And to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is the first by translation of his name, King of righteousness. Talking about Melchizedek, King of righteousness. And then he's also King of Salem. That is King of peace. You want to know who else is righteous? And the Prince of Peace, his name is Jesus Christ. And Abraham stands before a type of Christian. His name's Melchizedek. Maybe a theophany, maybe he's in front of the living God. I wonder if it is Jesus. I wonder if it is because Melchizedek comes out to that valley in front of the King of Sodom, in front of Abram, and he brings out bread and wine. You remember any other stories where Jesus brought bread and wine? It's the Last Supper with his disciples. And you've got these two examples in Abram's response and the King of Sodom's response. The King of Sodom was there to get what was his. And maybe he could get what he really wanted by acting like he would be generous. Do you remember any of the disciples that lived that way or responded that way? Judas, in the presence of Jesus, he held the money bag. And when Mary poured out the anointing oil on Jesus, he said, what a waste. We could have given that to the poor. He's under the illusion he wants people to believe that he's this generous guy. No, he is hoarding. He is keeping. He's saying, this is mine. I know better. And if we're not careful, we'll respond like the King of Sodom, or we'll respond like Judas and say, I know better. I'm a better investor, I'm a better saver. I've got a better plan, I've got a better way. And as a Christ follower, you're not afforded that room. What you're afforded is to give your entire life to Jesus Christ and model what is seen pre law, in the law and in Jesus Christ. Or you can respond like Abram and out of the overflow of your heart, you say, God gave me this victory with 318 men. You have a testimony. And it may not be 318 men against five enemy armies, but it's something. The air in your lungs, the fact that you're alive, the fact that you've been healed, the fact that you've been set free. Free, Your healthy marriage, your children that love Jesus. God has done something miraculous in your life. And if we're not careful in the church and the enemy is trying, is trying. Did God really say, is that legalism? That's a heavy weight. Don't carry that weight. No, I'm going to live free like David. I'm going to be unashamed to worship God and I'm going to worship him. In every area of my life, not just in singing and in clapping, but I'm gonna do it with my finances and say, God, this is easy. 10% is a starting place. Let it go up from here. Because I believe I'm blessed to be a blessing. Use me in every way. Don't worry about my retirement. Lord, you have me in the palm of your hand. And I'm not saying you have to drain the bank account. I'm saying, let's live this model, Jesus, you've got my whole life. And so it's easy to honor you in the place of the tithe. The most famous scripture as we close Malachi 3, about the tithe. I just want to read those verses, the context around the most famous verse about the tithe. This is the Lord speaking. I love this. For I, the Lord, do not change. What's. It's a legalistic thing either. I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed from the days of your fathers. You have turned aside from my statutes and you've not kept them. The Lord says, return to me. That's what the Lord's speaking to somebody today. Return to me. You've placed your trust in Bitcoin, and it's off a cliff. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, how shall we return? God says, will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. You say, how have we robbed you? How? Some people say that. How have we robbed you? Lord, I. I attend church, I bring my kids. I do the small group thing. I've been on a. I've been on. I've done this. How am I robbing you? We say that at times. I'll Skip to verse 10. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house, and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need, I will rebuke the devourer. What Carl said, I'll do it on your behalf so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil. And. And the vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. You know what? When you live this principle out, there will be people say, I don't understand. And it might be your tax professional, I don't understand what you're doing yet. It Seems like you got everything together, like God. God must be taking care of you. And you say, absolutely. That's the nation's calling. You blessed Jesus brings this new covenant. He said, I didn't come to abolish the law. I came to fulfill it. And there are people that say, I'm a grace giver. I just feel when I'm. I just give. When I'm prompted, I'm just grace giver. Most people that say that give less than 2%. Theologically, the grace of Jesus Christ elevates the conversation. And this is the last thing I'm going to say. It's now not about murder. We now, now we got to watch elevates. We got to watch our anger. It's now not just adultery. It's about our lust. Lust of the eyes. He's. He's elevating it. He's elevating it now. It's not hate your enemy. It's, you know, love your neighbor, hate your enemy. Jesus says, love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you.
- [30:45]
A
He.
- [30:46]
D
He lifts the conversation. And in the area of the tithe, which Jesus does affirm in Matthew 23:23, he says, you should tithe out of Jesus mouth, but he elevates it and says, why don't you be a living sacrifice? And you might say, paul wrote that in Romans, Jesus is the word. Be a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. Could we just bow our heads and close our eyes right here? There's a song that was sung at our Christmas spectacular. I just want you to think about this. If Jesus stayed at your house, what room are you gonna give him? And in the area of your finances, what room does Jesus have? Just think about it. You have guests over. You blow up the air mattress for Jesus. You put them in a tent outside. No, Jesus stays at your house. You're going to let him make the choice. You're going to give him the best of rooms. Let me read this lyric. Christ, he requires still. Whosoever comes to feed or to lodge, to have the best of rooms, give him the choice. Grant him the nobler part of all, the house, and the best of all's the heart. In the area of your finances, are you willing to give Jesus the best room? The first fruit, say, God, all of this came from you, and I honor you. I'm not just going to tithe. I am going to be a tither. It's now how I live my life. I'm just praying Holy Spirit, conviction, not condemnation, not shame, not guilt, not pressure, but a conviction to say, God, I have faith in you, but I'm going to prove it in the area of my finances. It is going to show that I'm bringing. Abraham didn't bring it to Melchizedek, he brought it to Jesus. And when you bring your tithe to the local church that you're a part of, you bring it not to that church, you bring it to Jesus and he receives your offering. Lord, I pray right now, speak to each and every heart. I pray that you challenge us, that we'd have a lean in and teachable spirit. We want to be more like you. And time is running short until the return of Christ. You're coming back. And I pray that we would live in a way, in every way, as if we're trying to honor your, to glorify your name and to see the lost around us saved in Jesus name. I pray everybody said Amen.