Latest / Gil I Am / The Shocking Truth Tithing Is a Sin In Today's Church! Billy Graham
Transcript
- 0:02Speaker 1: My friends, I stand before you today with a message
- 0:05Speaker 1: that may challenge the very core of what you've long believed.
- 0:11Speaker 2: That.
- 0:11Speaker 1: I am not here to offer soothing words or uphold
- 0:15Speaker 1: long standing customs. I am here to declare the truth
- 0:20Speaker 1: found in the Word of God. And I urge you,
- 0:24Speaker 1: with a sincere heart and an open Bible, to listen
- 0:27Speaker 1: to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church
- 0:30Speaker 1: in this moment. For far too long, the Church has
- 0:34Speaker 1: carried a burden that Jesus Christ never placed on his followers.
- 0:39Speaker 1: For far too long, sincere believers have been controlled, shamed,
- 0:43Speaker 1: and entangled in a system God never meant for his
- 0:47Speaker 1: redeemed children to bear. Today, I speak to you boldly,
- 0:53Speaker 1: without fear, and without compromise. The practice of tithing, as
- 0:58Speaker 1: commonly taught in my churches is not only outdated, it
- 1:04Speaker 1: stands in opposition to the very essence of the Gospel
- 1:08Speaker 1: of Grace. Before you dismiss this or close your heart,
- 1:14Speaker 1: let me ask you this. Do you cherish truth more
- 1:17Speaker 1: than tradition? Do you long to walk with Christ in
- 1:21Speaker 1: liberty rather than remain under the weight of a law
- 1:24Speaker 1: that was never written for you. If your answer is yes,
- 1:30Speaker 1: then I invite you stay with me, keep your heart open,
- 1:35Speaker 1: keep your thoughts open, and above all, keep your Bible open,
- 1:42Speaker 1: because today we will break through deception, unveil the lives
- 1:47Speaker 1: that have held so many in bondage, and enter into
- 1:50Speaker 1: the true freedom of giving as God intended. Walk with
- 1:55Speaker 1: me on this journey, my friends. Let us turn our
- 1:59Speaker 1: attention to the Word of God and pursue truth, not
- 2:03Speaker 1: man made custom.
- 2:05Speaker 2: Let us honestly explore what the.
- 2:08Speaker 1: Scriptures teach about tithing, For if we ought to follow
- 2:12Speaker 1: Christ sincerely, we must be ready to let go of
- 2:15Speaker 1: anything that is not rooted in Him. So I ask
- 2:19Speaker 1: you again, are you still tied to the old Covenant
- 2:23Speaker 1: or have you embraced the liberty of a new one.
- 2:27Speaker 1: Have you heard that tithing is a divine requirement, a commandment,
- 2:31Speaker 1: a beauty that must be obeyed, or else you risk
- 2:35Speaker 1: robbing God. If so, I urge you do not resist
- 2:42Speaker 1: this message. Let the scriptures speak for themselves. Fithing was
- 2:47Speaker 1: never instructed to the Church. It was a directive given
- 2:51Speaker 1: to Israel. It was part of the Old Covenant, our
- 2:55Speaker 1: regulation set for a specific group at a specific point
- 2:58Speaker 1: in history, for a specific purpose. When God instituted the
- 3:02Speaker 1: tithe It was not financial income being offered. It was crops, animals,
- 3:07Speaker 1: and the yield of the land. In the books of Leviticus, Numbers,
- 3:12Speaker 1: and Deuteronomy, we see repeatedly that the tithe served to
- 3:17Speaker 1: support the levitical priests and uphold the temple system. It
- 3:23Speaker 1: was designed as a means of sustenance, not as a
- 3:27Speaker 1: universal mandate for all believers. The Levites were given no
- 3:32Speaker 1: land to farm, no inheritance among the other tribes of Israel.
- 3:37Speaker 1: Therefore God provided the tithe to meet their needs. But
- 3:44Speaker 1: now I ask you, my friends, where is that levitical
- 3:47Speaker 1: priesthood today? Where is the temple that once stood in Jerusalem?
- 3:52Speaker 1: Where are the daily sacrifices made for the people's sins?
- 3:56Speaker 1: They are no longer. Christ himself has come pleaded the law.
- 4:01Speaker 1: Yet some may argue, wasn't tithing established before the law?
- 4:07Speaker 1: Didn't Abraham give a tenth to Melchizedic. Guess, my friends,
- 4:12Speaker 1: Abraham did offer a tenth, but it was from the
- 4:16Speaker 1: spoils of war, not from his personal income or daily provision.
- 4:22Speaker 1: He gave from the plunder of battle to Melchezedek in
- 4:27Speaker 1: a one time voluntary act.
- 4:30Speaker 2: There was no command.
- 4:31Speaker 1: Given to him he did not turn it into an
- 4:35Speaker 1: ongoing ordinance. And Jacob, who vowed to give a tenth
- 4:39Speaker 1: to God, made that promise with conditions, saying, if you
- 4:43Speaker 1: bless me, then I will give you a tenth. These
- 4:47Speaker 1: are not models of a universal command for the church.
- 4:51Speaker 1: These are not lasting statutes for God's people today. There
- 4:56Speaker 1: is nowhere, hear me, clearly, nowhere in the New Testament
- 5:02Speaker 1: where the church is instructed to tithe. Never once did
- 5:06Speaker 1: Jesus command his followers to give ten percent of their income.
- 5:11Speaker 2: Never once did the.
- 5:12Speaker 1: Apostle Paul, in all his letters to the churches, tell
- 5:16Speaker 1: them to institute a tithe. If tithing were an acquirement
- 5:21Speaker 1: under the Covenant of Grace, wouldn't the apostles have emphasized
- 5:25Speaker 1: it plainly.
- 5:28Speaker 2: Yet what do we find?
- 5:30Speaker 1: We see an invitation to give, not through pressure, not
- 5:34Speaker 1: out of duty, but with.
- 5:37Speaker 2: Gladness, as led by the spirit.
- 5:40Speaker 1: The first century believers gave because their hearts were moved
- 5:44Speaker 1: by love, not because they were following a legal obligation. Still,
- 5:48Speaker 1: many preachers today stand in the pulpit and proclaim that
- 5:51Speaker 1: refusing to tithe is the.
- 5:53Speaker 2: Same as robbing God.
- 5:55Speaker 1: They quote Malachi three saying will a man rob God,
- 5:59Speaker 1: Yet you have robbed me in tithes and offerings. But
- 6:02Speaker 1: I urge you read the entire passage understand who God
- 6:06Speaker 1: was addressing. He was speaking to the priests of Israel,
- 6:12Speaker 1: those who had defiled the temple and failed to fulfill
- 6:15Speaker 1: their responsibilities. This message was not given to the church.
- 6:21Speaker 1: It was not spoken over the body of Christ. And
- 6:25Speaker 1: yet multitudes of believers live under fear and guilt because
- 6:30Speaker 1: they've been told that God will curse them if they
- 6:35Speaker 1: don't give ten percent. My friends, Jesus bore that curse himself.
- 6:41Speaker 1: He carried it to the cross. We are no longer
- 6:45Speaker 1: bound to the law. We live under grace. Listen carefully.
- 6:50Speaker 1: If your giving is motivated by fear, by obligation, or
- 6:54Speaker 1: by the belief that God will hold back his blessings
- 6:57Speaker 1: unless you pay him like a heavenly tax collector, then
- 7:02Speaker 1: you are not giving in faith. You are living under
- 7:07Speaker 1: a law that Christ has already fulfilled. And that, my friends,
- 7:15Speaker 1: is sin, because anything that is not of faith is sin.
- 7:19Speaker 1: God isn't after your ten percent. He desires your heart.
- 7:24Speaker 1: He seeks those who give with joy, with love, with thankfulness,
- 7:28Speaker 1: and with full trust in Him, and when you give
- 7:32Speaker 1: from that place, whether it's ten percent, twenty percent, or
- 7:35Speaker 1: even two percent, it is consecrated to the Lord because
- 7:39Speaker 1: it is given in faith and freedom, not in fear
- 7:42Speaker 1: and legalism. So I ask you once more, are you
- 7:46Speaker 1: still living under the old covenant or have you.
- 7:49Speaker 2: Entered into the liberty that comes through Christ.
- 7:53Speaker 1: Will you continue to hold on to a law that
- 7:55Speaker 1: has already been fulfilled, or will you embrace the truth
- 8:00Speaker 1: that brings genuine freedom.
- 8:03Speaker 2: The decision is yours to make.
- 8:06Speaker 1: But I declare to you today the one whom the
- 8:08Speaker 1: sun sets free is truly free. My friends, let us
- 8:14Speaker 1: fix our gaze on Jesus, the originator and perfecta of
- 8:20Speaker 1: our faith. Let us lay down every burden, every weight,
- 8:25Speaker 1: and every legal requirement that Christ has already completed. I
- 8:31Speaker 1: tell you sincerely, if you are still holding to the
- 8:34Speaker 1: tithe as a measure of righteousness, then you are grasping
- 8:40Speaker 1: something Jesus nailed to the cross and brought to an end.
- 8:45Speaker 2: The law was merely a shadow, but Christ is the substance.
- 8:50Speaker 2: The law was for a season, but Jesus is everlasting.
- 8:55Speaker 2: The law served as.
- 8:56Speaker 1: A guardian, but now we have the end, dwelling of
- 8:58Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. Why then, do so many persist in
- 9:02Speaker 1: preaching what Christ has already accomplished. Why do so many
- 9:06Speaker 1: churches continue to bind believers to a yoke that the
- 9:09Speaker 1: Lord himself removed. We need to understand the mission of Jesus.
- 9:14Speaker 1: He did not come to patch up the existing system.
- 9:17Speaker 1: He did not come to strengthen the Law of Moses.
- 9:21Speaker 1: He came to bring it to completion. As he said
- 9:24Speaker 1: in Matthew five point seventeen. Do not think that I
- 9:26Speaker 1: came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did
- 9:30Speaker 1: not come to abolish, but.
- 9:31Speaker 2: To fulfill and fulfill it. He did.
- 9:36Speaker 1: Every statute, every organis, every demand of the Old Covenant
- 9:41Speaker 1: found its conclusion in him. The temple rituals fulfilled, the
- 9:48Speaker 1: priestly order fulfilled, the tithing structure fulfilled. If Jesus has
- 9:57Speaker 1: brought the law to completion, so why are we still
- 10:00Speaker 1: holding on to what no longer applies? Some may argue,
- 10:06Speaker 1: but Jesus referenced tithing in Matthew twenty three twenty three
- 10:11Speaker 1: when he criticized the Pharisees.
- 10:14Speaker 2: Yes he did.
- 10:14Speaker 1: He said, wote to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.
- 10:19Speaker 2: You tithe mint dill and cumin.
- 10:22Speaker 1: But you have neglected the more important matters of the law, justice, mercy,
- 10:28Speaker 1: and faith.
- 10:29Speaker 2: But listen carefully, my friends.
- 10:33Speaker 1: Jesus was speaking to those still under the old Covenant.
- 10:38Speaker 1: The temple still stood, sacrifices were still being made, the
- 10:44Speaker 1: levitical priesthood remained in place. He was not instructing the
- 10:50Speaker 1: church to tithe. He was exposing the hypocrisy of the
- 10:55Speaker 1: religious leaders, and shortly afterward that in the entire system collapsed,
- 11:02Speaker 1: never to be rebuilt. The veil in the temple was
- 11:06Speaker 1: torn from top to bottom, signaling that the former way
- 11:10Speaker 1: had come to an end. The moment Jesus cried out,
- 11:14Speaker 1: it is finished. The tithe, along with every aspect of
- 11:19Speaker 1: the mosaic system, was fulfilled forever. Yet some still say,
- 11:25Speaker 1: but tithing was a divine principle that predates the law,
- 11:29Speaker 1: and principles don't change. Then I ask you, can you
- 11:34Speaker 1: show me a single verse where Adam was instructed to tithe?
- 11:39Speaker 2: Can you point to Noah giving a tenth of his possessions?
- 11:43Speaker 1: Can you find any moment where the early church enforced
- 11:49Speaker 1: a compulsory tithe. If tithing were truly an eternal principle, then,
- 11:55Speaker 1: why is it that the Apostles, through all their teachings
- 11:59Speaker 1: and writing things, never once instructed believers to tithe?
- 12:05Speaker 2: My friends, the reason is simple.
- 12:08Speaker 1: Jesus did not come to introduce a new law based
- 12:12Speaker 1: on percentages.
- 12:14Speaker 2: He came to release us completely from the constraints of
- 12:18Speaker 2: the law. In the New.
- 12:20Speaker 1: Covenant, we are not summoned to offer ten percent. We
- 12:24Speaker 1: are called to lay down our entire lives for him.
- 12:28Speaker 1: We are no longer under pressure. We now live under grace.
- 12:34Speaker 1: Consider this carefully. If tithing were still a mandate after
- 12:38Speaker 1: the Cross, wouldn't Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles and
- 12:42Speaker 1: author of many foundational letters to the Church, have addressed
- 12:45Speaker 1: it explicitly.
- 12:47Speaker 2: Yet what do we see?
- 12:49Speaker 1: We find Paul teaching generosity, not tithing. Into Corinthians ninety seven,
- 12:56Speaker 1: he writes, each person must give as he is deci
- 13:00Speaker 1: in his heart, not reluctantly or under pressure. For God
- 13:04Speaker 1: loves a cheerful givern No force, no obligation, Only giving
- 13:10Speaker 1: that comes from a heart willing and joyful. That is
- 13:14Speaker 1: the message of the Gospel, That is the way of Christ,
- 13:17Speaker 1: that is the path of grace. Still, some preachers stand
- 13:22Speaker 1: behind their pulpits today and boldly declare.
- 13:26Speaker 2: If you don't tithe, you're under a curse.
- 13:29Speaker 1: They cite Malachi and stir fear in the hearts of
- 13:32Speaker 1: God's people.
- 13:33Speaker 2: But listen closely. If you are in Christ, you are
- 13:37Speaker 2: not cursed.
- 13:38Speaker 1: Galatians three point thirteen tells us Christ has redeemed us
- 13:42Speaker 1: from the curse of the law having become a curse
- 13:45Speaker 1: for us. If Jesus has already redeemed us, how could
- 13:50Speaker 1: we still be cursed?
- 13:52Speaker 2: If he has completed the law?
- 13:53Speaker 1: Why should we be expected to uphold what he already fulfilled.
- 13:58Speaker 1: Insisting that tithing remains a requirement is to diminish the
- 14:02Speaker 1: significance of the cross. It suggests that Christ's sacrifice was incomplete.
- 14:09Speaker 1: It is like sewing back together the veil he tore into.
- 14:14Speaker 1: So I asked you today, Are you resting in Christ alone?
- 14:18Speaker 1: Or are you clinging to a law that no longer applies?
- 14:22Speaker 1: Are you giving because of trust or because of fear?
- 14:27Speaker 1: Are you walking in freedom or still caught in bondage?
- 14:31Speaker 1: My friends, don't let anyone place a weight on you
- 14:35Speaker 1: that Jesus is already lifted. Don't let anyone drag you
- 14:39Speaker 1: back to what Christ brought to an end. You are
- 14:44Speaker 1: no longer under the law, you are no longer under
- 14:47Speaker 1: the tithe You are under grace. So walk confidently in
- 14:52Speaker 1: that freedom, Live in the liberty He purchased for you.
- 14:56Speaker 1: And when you give, do not give out of duty,
- 14:59Speaker 1: but as one who has been liberated by the Son
- 15:02Speaker 1: of the Living God. My friends, let us open our
- 15:07Speaker 1: hearts wide to the truth found in God's word. For
- 15:12Speaker 1: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- 15:16Speaker 1: We have already discussed how tithing was part of the
- 15:18Speaker 1: Old Covenant, how it was completed in Christ, and how
- 15:22Speaker 1: we are no longer subject to it.
- 15:25Speaker 2: So the question we must.
- 15:26Speaker 1: Now face is this, If we are no longer commanded
- 15:30Speaker 1: to tithe, then how should we give? What does God
- 15:35Speaker 1: desire from us? Is he asking for a percentage or
- 15:39Speaker 1: is he calling us to something even greater? My friends,
- 15:43Speaker 1: I say to you today that giving under the New
- 15:45Speaker 1: Testament is not driven by duty, fear or tradition. It
- 15:49Speaker 1: is born from the liberty of the heart. Scripture does
- 15:53Speaker 1: not require us to give a fixed ten percent dollar.
- 15:56Speaker 2: Instead, it instructs us to give.
- 15:58Speaker 1: As we are guided by the Holy Spirit, freely, joyfully,
- 16:02Speaker 1: and with generosity. Consider the early Church described in Acts two.
- 16:07Speaker 1: When the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers, What did
- 16:11Speaker 1: they do? Did they rush to the temple to fulfill
- 16:14Speaker 1: a tithe? Absolutely not. The passage tells us they shared
- 16:20Speaker 1: everything they possessed.
- 16:22Speaker 2: They sold their belongings to care for those in need.
- 16:26Speaker 2: They lived in unity.
- 16:27Speaker 1: Breaking bread together with joyful and sincere hearts. That, my friends,
- 16:33Speaker 1: is what spirit led giving looks like. It flows from
- 16:36Speaker 1: a heart renewed by Christ. It was never about calculating percentages.
- 16:42Speaker 1: It was about compassion. It was about being moved by
- 16:45Speaker 1: the spirit. It was about giving freely because they had
- 16:48Speaker 1: freely received.
- 16:51Speaker 2: Paul, the apostle sent to the.
- 16:52Speaker 1: Gentiles, never told the churches to tithe. He didn't instruct
- 16:59Speaker 1: them to allocate ten percent of their income to the
- 17:02Speaker 1: church weekly. Instead, in two Corinthians ninety seven, he wrote,
- 17:11Speaker 1: each of you should give what you have decided in
- 17:13Speaker 1: your heart to give, not reluctantly or under pressure, For
- 17:18Speaker 1: God loves a cheerful giver. Let those words settle in
- 17:23Speaker 1: your spirit, not reluctantly, not under pressure. Any act of
- 17:29Speaker 1: giving that springs from fear or human coercion is not
- 17:34Speaker 1: New Testament giving.
- 17:37Speaker 2: That kind of giving is law based. It is enslaving.
- 17:43Speaker 1: It contradicts the grace we have received. Sadly, some ministers
- 17:48Speaker 1: today stand before their congregations and proclaim, if you don't tithe,
- 17:53Speaker 1: you're stealing from God. They wield Malachi three to eight
- 17:57Speaker 1: like a club, instilling guilt and fear. But hear me clearly,
- 18:03Speaker 1: if you belong to Christ, you are not a thief.
- 18:06Speaker 1: You are a child of the most High. You have
- 18:09Speaker 1: no longer cursed, you have been redeemed by the precious
- 18:13Speaker 1: blood of Jesus. Malachi was addressing the nation of Israel,
- 18:18Speaker 1: a people still living under the old Covenant, who had
- 18:22Speaker 1: strayed from God's commands.
- 18:24Speaker 2: But we, dear friends, live under a new.
- 18:27Speaker 1: And better covenant, a covenant built on grace and anchored
- 18:31Speaker 1: in liberty. The only thing we rob God of is
- 18:35Speaker 1: our trust when we believe his blessings are earned by
- 18:39Speaker 1: observing a law that Christ has already completed.
- 18:43Speaker 2: The truth is this.
- 18:45Speaker 1: When giving is voluntary, it becomes a sacred act of worship.
- 18:52Speaker 1: It becomes an expression of love, It becomes a demonstration
- 18:57Speaker 1: of faith.
- 18:59Speaker 2: God is not a.
- 18:59Speaker 1: Face to your bank account. He is after your heart.
- 19:03Speaker 1: And when your heart is fully surrendered to him. Your
- 19:07Speaker 1: giving will not be motivated by guilt, obligation, or pressure.
- 19:14Speaker 1: It will be motivated by a desire to serve others,
- 19:18Speaker 1: to advance the message of Christ, and to be a
- 19:21Speaker 1: channel of God's provision.
- 19:23Speaker 2: To the world.
- 19:25Speaker 1: That is the kind of giving God treasures. That is
- 19:29Speaker 1: the kind of giving that brings him delight. That is
- 19:32Speaker 1: the kind of giving that fills the heart with jow.
- 19:36Speaker 1: Some of you might wonder, if we don't tithe, how
- 19:40Speaker 1: will the church continue? How will ministries be supported?
- 19:45Speaker 2: How will God's work go on?
- 19:48Speaker 1: My friends? Do you not trust that God is sufficient?
- 19:54Speaker 1: Do you not believe He can stir the hearts of
- 19:56Speaker 1: his people. The Church does not on legal obligation. It
- 20:03Speaker 1: thrives through faith. The work of the Lord is not
- 20:10Speaker 1: upheld by fear. It is empowered by love. When believers
- 20:15Speaker 1: give willingly, there is no shortage. When they follow the
- 20:19Speaker 1: leading of the spirit, there is always provision. The early
- 20:24Speaker 1: churches recorded in the New Testament were not upheld by
- 20:27Speaker 1: mandatory tithes. They were strengthened by the heartfelt generosity of
- 20:32Speaker 1: believers who gave cheerfully, voluntarily, believing that God would supply
- 20:38Speaker 1: all they needed and I tell you today, if God
- 20:42Speaker 1: provided for his church in the past, he can do
- 20:45Speaker 1: it again. If He moved people's hearts to give back,
- 20:49Speaker 1: then he can still do it now. The church does
- 20:53Speaker 1: not require legalism to survive.
- 20:56Speaker 2: It requires faith.
- 20:58Speaker 1: So I say to you, do not give because you
- 21:01Speaker 1: are scared.
- 21:03Speaker 2: Do not give under pressure. Do not give simply because
- 21:09Speaker 2: someone insists that you must give out of love.
- 21:15Speaker 1: Give because you trust. Give because the spirit of.
- 21:21Speaker 2: God prompts you.
- 21:24Speaker 1: Give because you walk in freedom. And when you're giving
- 21:29Speaker 1: flows from that place with joy and trust in your heart.
- 21:34Speaker 1: You will witness the abundance of God's blessings in your life,
- 21:39Speaker 1: not because you check the box or meta rule, but
- 21:42Speaker 1: because you chose to walk by faith. And faith, my friends,
- 21:48Speaker 1: is what moves the heart of God. My dear friends,
- 21:51Speaker 1: let us open our eyes to the truth and shake
- 21:54Speaker 1: off the chains that religious tradition has placed upon us.
- 21:59Speaker 2: For too long.
- 21:59Speaker 1: The man message has been that blessings must be purchased,
- 22:04Speaker 1: that if we do not give a fixed portion, God
- 22:07Speaker 1: will withhold his favor. But I say to you now
- 22:11Speaker 1: that is false. That is not the message of Jesus Christ.
- 22:16Speaker 1: God's blessings are not for sale. His grace cannot be earned.
- 22:22Speaker 1: His love is not bought.
- 22:23Speaker 2: With coins or currency.
- 22:27Speaker 1: And yet how many still sit in church pews each
- 22:31Speaker 1: week believing that unless they give their ten percent, God
- 22:35Speaker 1: will turn his back on them. How many are burdened
- 22:38Speaker 1: with guilt, thinking that if they don't pay their tithe,
- 22:43Speaker 1: they are closing the windows of heaven. That, my friends,
- 22:47Speaker 1: is not the God we serve. God is not a
- 22:50Speaker 1: vendor bartering blessings. He is not a heavenly tax agent,
- 22:53Speaker 1: collecting dues before he shows you favor. He is a
- 22:58Speaker 1: compassionate father who gives really and abundantly to his children.
- 23:02Speaker 1: Jesus said in Matthew five forty five that our Father
- 23:06Speaker 1: causes his son to rise on both the wicked and
- 23:09Speaker 1: the unrighteous, and he sends rain on the just and
- 23:13Speaker 1: the unjust Alike. If God bestows kindness on all, regardless
- 23:18Speaker 1: of their giving, then why do so many believe He
- 23:22Speaker 1: holds back his goodness based on a percentage, My friends,
- 23:26Speaker 1: that is not the nature of our heavenly Father.
- 23:28Speaker 2: That is not the message of grace.
- 23:31Speaker 1: Many pastors stand in their pulpits and proclaim that.
- 23:34Speaker 2: If you don't tithe, you're blocking the flow of God's
- 23:38Speaker 2: blessings in your life.
- 23:41Speaker 1: They often quote Malachi three ten, urging people to bring
- 23:45Speaker 1: their tithes into the storehouse so that the windows of
- 23:51Speaker 1: heaven may be opened. But I ask you who was
- 23:56Speaker 1: Malachi addressing. Was he speaking to the church. Was he
- 23:58Speaker 1: talking to believes under the new Covenant? No, he was
- 24:02Speaker 1: speaking to the nation of Israel, a people still under
- 24:06Speaker 1: the Mosaic law, a people required to bring tithes to
- 24:10Speaker 1: support the levitical priesthood. That covenantal system has passed away,
- 24:15Speaker 1: that temple no longer stand.
- 24:19Speaker 2: Still.
- 24:19Speaker 1: Some misuse this verse to pressure and manipulate, suggesting that
- 24:23Speaker 1: unless you tithe, God cannot move on your behalf. But friends,
- 24:27Speaker 1: the hands of God are not restrained by money. His
- 24:30Speaker 1: blessings are not unlocked by a financial percentage.
- 24:34Speaker 2: The act that.
- 24:35Speaker 1: Truly opened the heavens was not a tenth of your income.
- 24:38Speaker 1: It was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross.
- 24:42Speaker 1: If blessings were guaranteed through tithing, then explain why so
- 24:47Speaker 1: many faithful tithers still in dear hardship.
- 24:50Speaker 2: Why does some give all they.
- 24:52Speaker 1: Have expecting a breakthrough, only to remain in lack. My friends,
- 24:58Speaker 1: God's blessings are not commercial exchange. They are not earned
- 25:03Speaker 1: through a transaction. This is not a spiritual business agreement
- 25:09Speaker 1: where you offer ten percent and receive prosperity in return.
- 25:13Speaker 1: That is not the way of faith. That is not
- 25:15Speaker 1: the message of grace. That is not the good news
- 25:17Speaker 1: of the Gospel. Look to the apostles. Consider Paul, Peter,
- 25:23Speaker 1: and John. These men lived in the fullness of God's provision.
- 25:30Speaker 1: Yet never once did they command believers to tithe. Not
- 25:36Speaker 1: once did they declare, give a tenth and God will
- 25:40Speaker 1: reward you.
- 25:42Speaker 2: Know their message is simple and powerful.
- 25:45Speaker 1: They called believers to live by faith, to trust in
- 25:49Speaker 1: the goodness of God, and to know that every spiritual
- 25:53Speaker 1: blessing is already ours in Christ. Ephesians one to three
- 25:58Speaker 1: confirms this truth. Blessed be the God and Father of
- 26:03Speaker 1: our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
- 26:07Speaker 1: spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. If you
- 26:13Speaker 1: are in Christ, you are already abundantly blessed.
- 26:18Speaker 2: You don't have to purchase his.
- 26:19Speaker 1: Favor, you don't need to buy his generosity. You don't
- 26:26Speaker 1: have to tithe to win his approval. The moment you
- 26:31Speaker 1: placed your faith in Jesus. You stepped into the abundance
- 26:36Speaker 1: of His grace. Some may ask, but if we don't tithe,
- 26:40Speaker 1: how will God take care of us? My friends, do
- 26:44Speaker 1: you believe God's provision is based on formulas? Do you
- 26:49Speaker 1: believe He needs a set percentage of your earnings in
- 26:53Speaker 1: order to meet your needs? Certainly not, Scripture assures in
- 27:00Speaker 1: Philippians four nineteen. And my God will supply all your
- 27:04Speaker 1: needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,
- 27:09Speaker 1: not based on your tithing record, not based on a percentage,
- 27:14Speaker 1: but according to his endless wealth. And let me remind
- 27:20Speaker 1: you his supply never diminishes. His storehouse is never emptied,
- 27:24Speaker 1: his resources never run dry. His provision is eternal and unshakable.
- 27:30Speaker 1: God indeed calls us to give, but his call comes
- 27:34Speaker 1: from a place of love, not legal obligation. He invites
- 27:38Speaker 1: us to give with faith, not from a spirit of fear.
- 27:42Speaker 1: He desires that we give with joy, not out of
- 27:44Speaker 1: concern that he might with old blessings. If we don't,
- 27:48Speaker 1: the moment we start believing that our giving manipulates God's favor,
- 27:53Speaker 1: We've turned faith into a transaction. We reduce our relationship
- 27:58Speaker 1: with our creator to a mere contract. But that is
- 28:02Speaker 1: not how God operates. He is a loving father, not
- 28:05Speaker 1: a financial institution. He is the ultimate giver. He does
- 28:10Speaker 1: not pour out blessings because we followed to rule, but
- 28:14Speaker 1: because He delights in us. So I urge you today
- 28:19Speaker 1: never allow anyone to convince you that the blessings of
- 28:23Speaker 1: heaven can be bought.
- 28:26Speaker 2: Don't let anyone burden.
- 28:27Speaker 1: You with fear, claiming that unless you give a set amount,
- 28:32Speaker 1: the gates of heaven will remain shut. My friends, those
- 28:37Speaker 1: gates have already been flung open through the finished work
- 28:40Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ. Every spiritual blessing is already available to
- 28:46Speaker 1: you in him. Do not walk in fear, Do not
- 28:49Speaker 1: give under compulsion. Embrace the freedom of grace. Knowing your
- 28:54Speaker 1: Father in heaven is kind, trustworthy, and.
- 28:57Speaker 2: Full of love.
- 28:58Speaker 1: He blesses because of his nature, not because of your giving.
- 29:03Speaker 1: Let us be wise and not fall into deception. The
- 29:10Speaker 1: enemy has always sought to corrupt what is pure, to
- 29:13Speaker 1: turn something wholly into a heavy burden. He takes what
- 29:17Speaker 1: God freely offers and convinces people they must earn it.
- 29:23Speaker 1: He twists grace into legalism, generosity into duty, and today
- 29:30Speaker 1: One of the greatest falsehoods to infiltrate the church is
- 29:35Speaker 1: the idea that tithing is the divine mandate for new
- 29:40Speaker 1: covenant believers, that it is a sacred law, that withholding
- 29:45Speaker 1: a tide is a violation of God's will. But hear
- 29:50Speaker 1: me clearly, this is not true. It is not what
- 29:55Speaker 1: Jesus taught. It is not what the apostles taught, not
- 30:00Speaker 1: the path of grace. When Jesus walked among us, he
- 30:04Speaker 1: challenged the religious authorities because they weighed people down with
- 30:08Speaker 1: impossible demands, rules and rituals.
- 30:11Speaker 2: They themselves would not bear.
- 30:13Speaker 1: They turned the law into a system of boxes to
- 30:16Speaker 1: check numbers, to meet duties to fulfill. But in doing
- 30:20Speaker 1: so they missed the heart of God. And sadly, the
- 30:25Speaker 1: same error is being repeated today. There are pastors and
- 30:29Speaker 1: church leaders using the concept of tithing not to inspire giving,
- 30:34Speaker 1: but to maintain control. They use it to manipulate emotions,
- 30:38Speaker 1: to invoke fear to precious sincere believers. They claim that
- 30:42Speaker 1: those who do not tithe are in rebellion. They warn
- 30:45Speaker 1: that nontithe is a curse. They preach that God withholds
- 30:49Speaker 1: blessings from anyone who fails to give ten percent. But
- 30:53Speaker 1: I tell you again, that is not the gospel, that
- 30:58Speaker 1: is not the.
- 31:00Speaker 2: Message of Jesus. So let me ask you.
- 31:03Speaker 1: If tithing truly were a command for the church, then
- 31:07Speaker 1: why is it never explicitly required anywhere in the New Testament.
- 31:12Speaker 1: If tithing were necessary for righteousness, then why did Jesus
- 31:16Speaker 1: never instruct his disciples to tithe? If giving ten percent
- 31:22Speaker 1: with a secret to prosperity, why is there no mention
- 31:25Speaker 1: of it in the teachings of Paul Peter Aujohn. My friends,
- 31:31Speaker 1: it's because tithing belonged to the Old Covenant, and we
- 31:34Speaker 1: now live under the New And in this New Covenant,
- 31:38Speaker 1: we're not commanded to give by obligation, but inspired to
- 31:43Speaker 1: give through love. We are no longer tied to a
- 31:47Speaker 1: set percentage, but are led by the guidance of the
- 31:51Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. Some might argue, but Abraham tithed before the law,
- 31:57Speaker 1: so it must be an everlasting principle. Let's look closely
- 32:02Speaker 1: at Genesis fourteen. Abraham offered a tenth of the spoils
- 32:07Speaker 1: of battle to Melchizide, but there is no record of
- 32:12Speaker 1: God commanding him to do so.
- 32:16Speaker 2: He never established it as a routine.
- 32:18Speaker 1: He never told his descendants this is required for blessing.
- 32:23Speaker 2: It was a.
- 32:24Speaker 1: Singular, voluntary act, a spontaneous gesture, not a law or
- 32:31Speaker 1: a command. Yet from this single moment, entire doctrines have
- 32:38Speaker 1: been built, doctrines that pressure people to give, not from freedom,
- 32:43Speaker 1: but from fear. That is not God's desire. He is
- 32:49Speaker 1: seeking hearts that give willingly.
- 32:53Speaker 2: As it says in.
- 32:54Speaker 1: Two Corinthians ninety seven, each person should give what they
- 32:58Speaker 1: have decided in their heart to give, not reluctantly or
- 33:03Speaker 1: under pressure, For God loves a cheerful giver. If you
- 33:09Speaker 1: are being told you must tithe or else, then you're
- 33:13Speaker 1: being subjected to compulsion. If you're giving out of fear
- 33:18Speaker 1: that God won't bless you unless you do, then you
- 33:21Speaker 1: are giving out of fear, not faith.
- 33:24Speaker 2: But God responds to faith, not fear.
- 33:28Speaker 1: He desires your offering to flow from trust, love, and
- 33:33Speaker 1: a desire to be part of His work, not because
- 33:37Speaker 1: you feel trapped. Unfortunately, some churches have reduced tithing to
- 33:43Speaker 1: a kind of membership fee, as if your financial contribution
- 33:48Speaker 1: defines your spiritual worth. But let me make it clear.
- 33:52Speaker 1: God does not gauge your devotion by a percentage your
- 33:57Speaker 1: righteousness is not found in a numbers, It is found
- 34:01Speaker 1: in Christ alone. You a favor not because you tired,
- 34:06Speaker 1: but because you belong to Jesus. Your blessings are not
- 34:10Speaker 1: earned by keeping an old covenant law that Jesus is
- 34:13Speaker 1: already fulfilled. The danger of this teaching is real. It
- 34:18Speaker 1: traps people in spiritual bondage. It causes them to put
- 34:23Speaker 1: their trust in a formula rather than in the faithfulness
- 34:26Speaker 1: of God. It teaches that you are cursed if you
- 34:30Speaker 1: don't give a tenth, instead of reminding you that Jesus
- 34:34Speaker 1: became the curse for you on the cross. It replaces
- 34:39Speaker 1: the true gospel of grace with a gospel of performance
- 34:43Speaker 1: in fear. But here is the truth. Jesus has done it.
- 34:48Speaker 1: All the work is finished. There is nothing more to earn,
- 34:55Speaker 1: nothing left to buy, nothing else to complete. We do
- 34:59Speaker 1: not give in order to obtain blessings. We give because
- 35:03Speaker 1: we are already blessed. We do not give to break
- 35:06Speaker 1: a curse. We give because Christ has already delivered us
- 35:11Speaker 1: from every curse. We do not give to gain God's approval.
- 35:17Speaker 1: We give because through Jesus we already stand in His favor.
- 35:23Speaker 1: So I urge you today, open your heart and your eyes.
- 35:26Speaker 1: Don't be misled. Don't allow anyone to place on you
- 35:30Speaker 1: a burden that Christ has already lifted. Don't believe the
- 35:34Speaker 1: lie that your relationship with God hinges on.
- 35:38Speaker 2: How much you give. Give freely, give with faith.
- 35:44Speaker 1: Give because you love God, not because you're scared. Give
- 35:49Speaker 1: because the Holy Spirit leads you, not because people pressure you.
- 35:54Speaker 2: Above all, walk boldly.
- 35:56Speaker 1: In the liberty of Christ, resting in the truth that
- 35:59Speaker 1: you are already accepted, already blessed, and already love. Not
- 36:06Speaker 1: because of your actions, but because of who Jesus is.
- 36:12Speaker 1: My friends, when we examined the life and mission of
- 36:15Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, we see a savior who came to release
- 36:18Speaker 1: the captives. We find a deliverer who shattered the change
- 36:23Speaker 1: of religious bondage and ushered in the radiant freedom of grace.
- 36:27Speaker 1: He did not arrive to add burdens to our lives.
- 36:31Speaker 1: He came to lift them. He didn't come to introduce
- 36:35Speaker 1: more rules, but to fulfill the law so that we
- 36:38Speaker 1: might live under the power of His love. Yet still
- 36:42Speaker 1: today many believers are weighed down by traditions that tie
- 36:47Speaker 1: their spiritual standing to their financial giving. But that my friends,
- 36:54Speaker 1: is not the gospel. Jesus never taught his followers to tithe.
- 37:00Speaker 1: He never said give ten percent and you'll be favored. Instead,
- 37:04Speaker 1: he said, freely you have received, freely give. He said,
- 37:09Speaker 1: give and it will be given to you. He emphasized generosity, compassion,
- 37:15Speaker 1: and faith, not religious obligation, because in God's Kingdom, giving
- 37:21Speaker 1: is not based on calculation. It flows from the heart.
- 37:27Speaker 1: It's not about adhering to a rule. It's about being
- 37:31Speaker 1: directed by the spirit. It's not about meeting a quota.
- 37:37Speaker 1: It's about overflowing from the abundance of God's grace. Tragically,
- 37:42Speaker 1: many churches have taken what should be a joyful expression
- 37:45Speaker 1: of love and twisted into a mandatory ritual. They've turned
- 37:50Speaker 1: a spirit let act into a requirement of a law,
- 37:53Speaker 1: and the result people give not out of delight but
- 37:57Speaker 1: under pressure, not out of joy, but because they feel
- 38:00Speaker 1: guilty or afraid.
- 38:03Speaker 2: And that, my friends, is not God's desire.
- 38:07Speaker 1: Scripture tells us clearly that God delights in a cheerful giver,
- 38:12Speaker 1: not one who gives because of coercion, not one who
- 38:15Speaker 1: gives out of dread, not one who feels false, but
- 38:18Speaker 1: one who gives with joy, but How can anyone give
- 38:22Speaker 1: cheerfully if they are being compelled? How can they rejoice
- 38:26Speaker 1: in giving? If they are one that failure to give
- 38:28Speaker 1: makes them a thief in God's eyes. Some may argue,
- 38:32Speaker 1: if people stop tithing, how will the church survive? How
- 38:36Speaker 1: will pastors be provided for? How will ministries continue? My friends,
- 38:41Speaker 1: do you believe that God's work relies on a system
- 38:44Speaker 1: rooted in obligation? Do you truly think He must compel
- 38:49Speaker 1: people to give in order for his kingdom to be sustained?
- 38:54Speaker 2: Certainly not.
- 38:56Speaker 1: The Church is not upheld by tithing. It stands firm
- 39:02Speaker 1: through faith. Ministry flourishes not through mandated percentages, but through
- 39:10Speaker 1: the generous hearts of spirit led believers who respond as
- 39:15Speaker 1: God moves them. When giving flows freely from the heart,
- 39:20Speaker 1: abundance follows. When the spirit guides our generosity, there is
- 39:24Speaker 1: no shortage. The early Church did not operate under the
- 39:28Speaker 1: command to tithe. Yet Scripture tells us they shared all things,
- 39:33Speaker 1: and none among them lacked anything. Why because they gave willingly,
- 39:37Speaker 1: motivated by love. Their generosity was the result of hearts
- 39:42Speaker 1: transformed by the power of the Gospel. This, dear friends,
- 39:47Speaker 1: is the truth. Many have overlooked. Giving was never about
- 39:51Speaker 1: a fixed percentage. It's not about calculating ten percent or
- 39:56Speaker 1: twenty percent. It's about becoming a conduit for God.
- 40:00Speaker 2: It's love.
- 40:02Speaker 1: It's about recognizing that everything we possess ultimately belongs to
- 40:06Speaker 1: Him and using it for his purpose. It's about trusting him,
- 40:12Speaker 1: not from fear of punishment, but from confidence in His goodness.
- 40:16Speaker 1: Is our loving Father who provides when we give without pressure,
- 40:22Speaker 1: without fear, and without the weight of religious law. That
- 40:25Speaker 1: is when our giving mirrors the heart of God. So
- 40:29Speaker 1: let me ask you, sincerely, are you giving because of
- 40:32Speaker 1: love or because of fear? Is your giving prompted by
- 40:36Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit or by the expectations of others? Are
- 40:40Speaker 1: you giving in the liberty of grace or still burdened
- 40:43Speaker 1: by the weight of law.
- 40:45Speaker 2: Jesus came to bring true freedom.
- 40:49Speaker 1: He came to lift the burdens, break the chains, and
- 40:53Speaker 1: destroy the yokes that bind his people. Don't allow anyone
- 40:58Speaker 1: to convince you that God's blessing must be bought. Don't
- 41:02Speaker 1: believe for a moment that your value to Him depends
- 41:05Speaker 1: on the amount you give. You are his child, purchased
- 41:10Speaker 1: by his blood, embraced by his grace and abundantly blessed,
- 41:15Speaker 1: not because of what you've done, but because of what
- 41:19Speaker 1: Christ accomplished for you.
- 41:21Speaker 2: So embrace that freedom.
- 41:23Speaker 1: Give as the Spirit prompts you, Give because your heart
- 41:28Speaker 1: overflows with love. Give because you long to bless others.
- 41:33Speaker 1: Give because you trust the one who meets every need.
- 41:37Speaker 2: And remember this.
- 41:39Speaker 1: When your giving is rooted in faith, born of joy,
- 41:42Speaker 1: and anchor in grace, that is when you will encounter
- 41:46Speaker 1: the richness of God's blessings, not as a reward for
- 41:50Speaker 1: following a rule, but as the fruit of walking in
- 41:54Speaker 1: the fullness of His life.