Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Twenty-first Sunday After Pentecost
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Rev. Mike Moffitt November 2nd, 2025
“Where your treasure is there will your heart be also”
Matthew 6:21
When I was growing up my parents sometimes left me with my maternal grandmother at her house that was shared with my Uncle David and Aunt Judy. They were extremely poor and everything in their house was very old and filthy. My grandmother who I called “Momma Ruth” had lots of mail laying around from Oral Roberts. When he was on TV she always tried to watch his show. You may remember his tag line which was, “Something good is going to happen to you.”
His message was usually about God’s desire to pour out His blessings on you including physical, marital, and financial healing. He always encouraged his audience to send him a tax-deductible contribution which should be seen as planting a seed of faith that would be rewarded in God pouring his blessings on you. I don’t really know how much Mamma Ruth sent Roberts, but she never received what he had promised, she died a pauper. Robert’s on the other hand seemed to be doing pretty well.
As I grew older I became more aware of television evangelists who had that same message of giving in faith to receive God’s blessings. One that seemed to be very popular was Robert Tilton who spent most every program encouraging his audience to give to his ministry, again planting a seed of faith. Every show he read letters from those who had come into a financial blessing that was traced back to sending him money. He also seemed to be doing very well.
Mt father had some of his favorites that had virtually the same message and oddly enough they seemed be doing extremely well. Some are still around preaching the same message of sowing seeds of faith by sending them money.
There was a common scripture that most of them got around to. It came from Malachi 3: 8-10, “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
I must confess that this scripture got my attention. At one point in our marriage we were always struggling to pay our bills. We decided to start tithing, thereby believing in God’s promise to bless us until it overflowed. I remember looking at every bit of money we received that week in our paychecks and then extracting 10% to be given to the church on Sunday. I assume that the bookkeeper used to look at our tithe and wonder how we came up with such unusual figures, for example $26.41. We did this for years and I can remember praying, “Well God we have been faithful in our tithe and to be honest I’m not having any trouble with receiving so much blessings that I can’t contain it.” Of course the problem was that I was treating God like the stock market or other high yield investments. I was expecting a return on my investment. I had missed the point completely. I was being very legalistic and measuring what was required of me, not because of my love for God but my need for money. To me we had a deal, and I was keeping up my end of the bargain.
At one point I was having breakfast with a group of men and the subject of finances came up. I expressed my frustration with God and his failure to provide great financial blessings, especially since I had been so faithful in the tithe. One of the brothers said something to me that changed my attitude. He said, “It sounds to me that you believe that you’re a better servant than God is a Master.” Ouch!
You may have noticed that nowhere in the passage from Malachi 3 was God promising an abundance of money. Living in obedience to God’s commands should be out of our desire to honor and glorify the one who has loved us so completely and who through Jesus Christ promised life as it was intended to be lived. The payoff was God himself not material blessing, although sometimes God does that as well. More on that later. I don’t intend to completely exegete this passage today. I only want to make one observation about the tithe.
When Israel received the Promised Land each tribe of Israel (formerly the sons of Jacob) received a portion as their inheritance except for Levi. The tribe of Levi didn’t receive any land as their inheritance because they were set apart to serve as priests and religious leaders within Israel. Their inheritance was the Lord God Himself. God set them apart so they could dedicate their lives to worship, teaching the Law, and administering spiritual and judicial matters for all the tribes. God would make provision for them through the tithes and offerings brought in by the people. The tithes (10%) should come through the agricultural harvest and the increase of fields and flocks (Lev. 27:30-33; Numbers 18:21-25; Deut. 14:22-29). There was no scriptural requirement to give on non-agricultural increase.
While the Levites received no territorial land, Joshua assigned them 48 cities scattered throughout the lands of other tribes with pastureland for their livestock. These cities provided them with a place to live, but their economical and spiritual inheritance was God. (Joshua 21)
There was a voluntary tithe on the plunder of war, which we read about this morning in Genesis 14: 17-24. Abraham refused his portion from the King of Sodom but gave 10% to Melchizedek because he considered him to be a priest of the Lord Most High.
There were actually 3 tithes in the Old Testament. 1- going to the Levites and priests 2- to be consumed at the Feast of Tabernacles 3- to be given every third year for the relief of the poor.
There was no tithe on wages in the OT, or from income from trade or investments, or about the produce of land outside of the Promised Land. The poor were not commanded to tithe but they could bring offerings of whatever they could afford. (Lev. 5:11-13; 14:21; 7:8).
Robert Spender in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of OT states:
“Beyond direct legislation a number of institutions contained special provisions for the poor. Gleaning laws focused on the widow, fatherless, stranger, and poor (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19-22). During the Sabbatical year debts were to be canceled (Deut 15:1-9) and Jubilee provided release for Hebrews who had become servants through poverty (Lev 25:39-41; 25:54). During these festivals the poor could eat freely of the produce of all of the fields (Exod 23:11; Lev 25:6-7; Lev 25:12).”
I wanted to point this out because I don’t see that there is much evidence recommending we focus on the tithe in the NT. There are no Levites because there is no longer a sacrificial system or temple to maintain. The church has expanded outside of the Promised Land
Listen again from our passage from Genesis 14:18-20, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of 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 Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
It’s important that we remember that Abram was not following the law of God. It would be over 400 years before the Lord gave the law through Moses. So Abram wasn’t giving the tithe to Melchizedek because it was required, it wasn’t. Melchizedek blessed Abram because he was seen as a warrior and servant of the “Lord Most High” and Abram gave the tithe to Melchizedek King of Salem, a priest of the Lord Most High. Many see him as a type of or pointing to the Messiah. See Hebrews 7 for a more complete understanding. I think it worth mentioning that Abram was not willing to receive anything from the King of Sodom lest he be seen somehow in friendship of the king of such a wicked people. Suffice it to say that even in Abraham’s time the tithe was a part of the ancient world.
Last week we discussed the parable from Luke 18:9-14 of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee was giving thanks that he was so righteous, and the proof was that he tithed on everything he received, unlike the sinner behind him…..whereas the tax collector stood way in the back beating his breast because he was such a sinner, so he cried out, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.”
Jesus exposed the true heart of the Pharisee who left feeling secure and worthy of God’s delight, but Jesus said it was the tax collector who left justified.
In Matthew 23: 1-36 Jesus pronounced Seven woes on the Pharisees. In verse 23-24 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”
Jesus was pointing out that their legalistic giving did not work real righteousness for the Pharisees were striving to follow the law precisely. They weren’t giving with a right heart, and the proof was that they weren’t focused on acts of mercy, justice, and faithfulness.
If you take the time to read Matthew 23 and all of the 7 woes that Jesus pronounced on the Pharisees and scribes it’s important to remember that they were under the law. They were the ones who were stressing ritual observance, yet they were neglectful in their moral duty toward their fellow man.
Those who had been under the law (the Jews) through Christ had been delivered from it to something far better and so has the Church today. Paul wrote in Romans 7:6: “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” The Apostle Paul reminds the Christian who seeks to keep the law to be justified or sanctified has fallen from grace.
Gal 5:4, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.”
There is no way that you can be righteous enough to stand before the Holy and Glorious Lord of the Universe at the Day of judgment.
Paul made this very clear in Romans 3:20;23, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin….For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Tithing had been instituted when there was a need - when the priesthood came into being. But it was dissolved when a better Priesthood arrived (Heb 8:1-10:18). The ceremonial laws: the burnt offerings, the grain offering, dietary rules, ritual cleansings, laws concerning leprosy and slavery, the feasts, and the year of jubilee do not apply to the Christian.
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. However, when we come to Jesus Christ accepting Him as Savior and Lord we are set free from the bondage that once bound us. We begin a new relationship and a new way of living.
The Law of God found in the Scriptures are an expression of God’s holy and moral character. In this sense the law of God is eternal as God is eternal. We should see that God’s law is a wonderful gift to the Human race (Romans 7:12). Men and women and the world were designed to operate in ways that accord with his law. For this reason when God’s law is rightly understood and applied it’s our delight and joy, and our path for successful living. The ceremonial and judicial laws were specifically to be tied to aspects of a specific time. The ceremonial were designed for tabernacle and temple worship and the judicial laws to guide Israel as a nation-state under the rule of the Creator- God. These laws would be difficult to apply today because the Old Testament ceremonies and what some have called the body-politic have been fulfilled in Christ. However the moral principles that were the basis and foundation of the ceremonial and judicial laws are still to be applied today, but not as the means of salvation. So if there is no tithe then how should Christians view giving to the church and Christian ministries?
A New Testament teaching on giving which may be helpful to you is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”
This passage brings out four points: we should give individually, regularly, methodically, and proportionately. The matter of your giving is between you and God, and He always knows our circumstances. He knows when they are beyond our power to direct and control. The important thing is that we see giving as a privilege and not as a burden. It should not be out of a sense of duty, but rather out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His kingdom advanced.
This morning we heard read 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Paul begins the chapter letting the church in Corinth know that when he comes to them he will be going on to the church in Jerusalem. He was taking a gift to them in their poverty. He was coming from Macedonia collecting financial gifts. So he sends messengers ahead so that when he arrives they would not miss the opportunity for a great blessing. In our reading this morning Paul begins with what was probably a common agricultural proverb which taught that sowing sparingly results in a poor harvest, but generous sowing bring a plentiful harvest. He may have been alluding to Proverbs 11:24-25,
“One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Paul wasn’t asking them to give beyond their means, and how much they gave should be matter of their own conscience. The reliance on inward conviction in this is very important because Paul had no clear directive from God. As in every ethical choice that believers must make, there comes a point where the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit should guide specific actions.
Acting according to conscience was essential in this situation. Paul wanted the Corinthians to be blessed by their generosity but that wouldn’t happen if they gave reluctantly or under compulsion.
Also, it was very important to realize that God was free to bless their generosity especially when given freely but he wasn’t obligated to do so. Actually, we will never be able to repay all that God has done for us in Christ, so our giving freely is another way of showing our love and trust in God and his provision for us.
To be truthful this is my first sermon on giving. I’ve been in full-time ministry for 19 years and I’ve never even brought it up. I’ve always been amazed at the generosity of this church and I still am.
However, as we prepare our budget for 2026 we are at a place where we need your help. Our vestry is very careful in how we handle our resources, and we have no debt. Praise God! Our property is paid for and in the past we have put money aside for upcoming need of repairs.
But our giving is down so I’m coming to you, the church family. Also one of the great joys we’ve had in the past is the ability to help different ministries and people involved in missions. They are feeling the financial squeeze to. As we approach year end I’m asking everyone who can, to consider giving what God lays upon your heart. Feel free to speak with me or our vestry members if you have questions. Blessings!
