February 2, 2014 AD, by Pastor Ben Willis

The Prophet Haggai 1:1-15 [NLTse]
On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’”
3 Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while My House lies in ruins? 5 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild My House. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. 9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because My House lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”
14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the House of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 15 on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign.

Sermon

The small remnant of Israel was going through hard times. It was 520 BC and they’d been back in the Promised Land for eighteen years.

History and the Bible tell us that in 721 BC the Assyrian army destroyed the Israelite capitol of Samaria, relocating other conquered peoples into their lands and exiling and relocating the Israelites to foreign cities. The Assyrian Empire was overthrown by the Babylonian Empire, and in 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed the Judahite capitol of Jerusalem (remember that after Solomon’s death that Israel had split into two different nations, Israel to the north and Judah to the south?) and, again, relocated other conquered peoples’ into Judah’s lands and exiling and relocating the Jews across to other, foreign cities.

The Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire, and then the Median Empire annexed the Persian. In the Book of Ezra chapter 1 we read that in 538 BC the Medo-Persian king, Cyrus, issued a decree that all the Jews who had been resettled across his lands were free to return to Jerusalem and work together to rebuild God’s Temple there. And the Book of Ezra tells how after a year of preparations and travel how those who had returned began rebuilding: Finishing the sacrificial altar and the foundation of the Temple, and starting on the walls.

Ezra 4 tells us that the peoples who’d been living in the land when the Jews returned wanted to join them in rebuilding, but how the Jewish leaders wouldn’t let them, and how those peoples then began conspiring to keep any and all construction work from going any farther. And history and the Bible tell us they were successful, and that the Temple building and its wall sat in ruins until 520 BC, the second year of King Darius’ reign, and the time of our morning’s reading from the prophet Haggai.
And it was a time of great hardship. Famine and drought choked the land and the people. Although the Temple was still just a footprint on the ground the altar was functional and the people had been faithful in the practice of their sacrificial rites, but the sky seemed like brass and the earth like bronze, and what they could make grow and what they could bring home was spent or eaten up all too quickly! And the people were afraid: Afraid for their next meal, afraid for their children and livelihoods, afraid for their very lives!

So they tightened their belts and cut back, and they worked harder and tried to work smarter, and they prayed more and worshiped more (consulting the teachers of the Law to make sure they were doing everything right), and they cried out to the Lord!

But God’s ways are not our ways, and how we seek to solve our problems does not tend to be the response the Lord is always looking for. The Jews cried out to Him and His response through the prophet Haggai was, “Build My House!” And the leaders and people replied, “Now’s not the time, Haggai. Can’t you see how we’re struggling? We need to be careful; our existence is on the edge of a knifeblade. We need rain! We need good soil! We need to plant and harvest and tighten up and perhaps set some treaties with our neighbors for food, if we can…”

Yet God’s answer to their troubles was, “I know your circumstances. I know your needs. I you’re your fears. Build My House!”

Last October I preached and taught about tithing for the first time in a long while. (Too long a while many of you said.) Following that message different ones of you brought to me various teachings you had heard over the years about tithing – what it should be, what it should not be – wanting to better understand this practice that has helped so many Christians across the centuries offer themselves more fully to God and grow closer to Him.

The two most frequently asked questions have been: “I know tithe means 10%, but is the entire tithe really supposed to be given to our local, “home” church?” and, “I know the tithe was a big deal in the Old Testament, but does the tithe apply to the New Covenant and our life in Christ today?”
I’ll start with the first question, that is: I know tithe means 10%, but is the entire tithe really supposed to be given to our local, “home” church?

The answer is, “yes”. I have read and studied the different teachings out there, even by many prominent Bible teachers and pastors. Some have likened the tithe to part of Israel’s tax system and so argued that, since some of the tithe went to governance and some went to the Tabernacle and Temple, that the tithe to one’s local, “home” church to support gospel-ministry today could be less. But the Bible doesn’t back up such an argument. I can say that because the tithe – fully 10% of a person’s wages – was actively practiced by Jews in Jesus’ day while they were paying full governance taxes to Rome.
Other Christian leaders, acknowledging the variety of para-church ministries carrying out the purposes of the tithe around our various communities today, have taught that perhaps 5% is adequate for giving to one’s “home” church as long as the remaining 5% is given to other ministries furthering the purposes the tithe was to be used for.

But this doesn’t stand up, either, since the annual Temple tax, the cost of sacrificial animals for the three festivals requiring Temple attendance, and all the gifts expected to be given to the poor and blind and lame, etc… were all in addition to the locally-given 10% tithe, even though these additional offerings satisfied the purposes of the tithe, as well.

So, yes, the entire tithe really is to be given to our local, “home” church.

The second question, I know the tithe was a big deal in the Old Testament, but does the tithe apply to the New Covenant and our life in Christ today? is also a “yes”. In Luke 11:42, the Lord Jesus is criticizing various religious leaders. And He says, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” So Jesus calls us to practice the tithe even as He makes clear that the righteousness and love of God’s grace is so very much more important!

I’m going to say that, although perhaps trying to be a blessing to us all, those who argue against the tithe are in fact hurting us and fostering our old nature’s love of money. Reducing the tithe to anything less, even proposing a half-tithe (as long as the other half is given to Christ’s purposes, as well) will only to encourage our desire to control where our money is spent and what ministries our money supports.

But practicing the tithe engages us in God’s battle against greed in our lives and our desire to rule and to think that anything is truly ours at all. (And, as far as supporting the many worthy ministries and causes out there: As the Lord grants us abundant wealth, or as our thrifty practices result in extra money to spend, our Father sets us free to joyfully and enthusiastically assist these other works, as well!)

All this being said, some of you have commented to me how hard it can be to tithe in such challenging economic times. And as I’ve told you the impact that tithing has had on Amy’s and my lives and lifestyle, many of you have encouraged me to share that impact during a message like this one. Now, I don’t pass these things on because Amy and I are “all that” and such superior Christians, I pass these things on in the hopes of giving you some real-world examples of how tithing can look and affect a marriage and a family and a home. So,
Because we tithe Amy and I get most of our clothing second-hand and we don’t go out to eat as often as we’d like, and sometimes don’t go out to eat at all.

Because we tithe we have had all manner of fights and arguments about it, and about money, and about our budget and what we’ll spend and where.

Because we tithe we have the lowest level of cable television (with only a handful of channels and ESPN that doesn’t have sound), Eden and Caleb don’t have cell phones, we drive used cars, and nobody is involved in any computer gaming that costs money.

On the other hand, because we tithe we know we’re a part of helping others around the church and our community who are in need. Because we tithe we don’t have the pressure to keep up with what everyone else has: All of us know we don’t have the money to buy new, and designer, and excess. Because we tithe we know we’re a part of the church’s Benevolences ministry, and Light In the Darkness, and White Gifts, and the Live Nativity, and we know that countless people have come to experience grace in ways they have never experienced before! Because we tithe we’re a part of the Church-Family events that we all invite our friends and neighbors to so they can see our Christian friendships and beautiful community here. Because we tithe we’re a part of the small groups, Sunday School classes, and Bible studies that teach and grow our faith, and are a part of supporting YoungLife and the Tri-State Pregnancy Center and missionaries around the globe! Because we tithe we feel good about our relationship to God’s Word: Because He’s telling us to do something and we’re able to see ourselves actually doing it…

Because we tithe we’ve gotten to see God working wonders in our lives. This past year Amy needed a lot of physical therapy and we were getting in over our head in medical bills. There was no way the PT place knew that, but God did. And one day, out of the blue, we got a letter from their accounting department that said (and I quote), “Because you have been faithful to your commitment” we are forgiving your debt! We’d been paying God our tithe and been paying them the monthly budget amount we’d agreed to with them: So, which “commitment” were we being praised for as they forgave our debt?

Because we tithe, although we are very careful about treating ourselves to things, we will often have people give us gift cards or money out of the blue given so that we might go treat ourselves! When you step out in tithing, especially during those times when you’re sure you can’t make ends meet, God meets you, and often provides exactly the things we need at just the times we need them.

Amy and I committed to tithe for the first time when we first arrived here in Milford. Since we made that commitment we’ve had times when it was relatively easy and other times when we knew we couldn’t afford it, but the Lord has provided and we have never regretted it.

I know times are tough. The Lord told those Jews who’d returned home that their tough times were because they hadn’t built His House. It might not make sense to us, how building a building could affect weather and productivity. But God’s ways are not our ways! Are things tight for you? Then tithe! Let’s do without. How much more influence could the church have if we all tithed? How many more lives might be transformed? Where can we cut back for God?

Let’s show our Father we trust Him and not money. And if you’ve cut everything back and you can’t pay your bills, then – because all the rest of us tithe – we’ll be able to help you keep a roof over your head and enough food on your table and adequate clothing day by day…

Don’t you know that this building and the ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Milford is here today because those who went before us tithed?! Some of you were baptized here. Some of you were married here. Many of you have had your souls transformed as the Holy Spirit has used this church in your lives. Do you really want to drive by here in 20 or 50 years with your grandkids to show them the church where God did all these special things in your life only to see that it’s become an art studio because we didn’t role-model tithing for future generations?

Commit to tithing for the next 3 months and see what God does with that. Not grudgingly; not like I made you, but with the anticipation of beginning a great adventure with God! Don’t give 1%. Don’t give 8%. Isn’t it time to believe the Lord and give the full 10% and see what He’ll do with that?

Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (55:8-9) “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God,” Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 3:19). “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,” our Lord and Savior said, “and [God] will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33)

The prophet Haggai records that when the people began to obey the message, then the Lord told them: “I am with you, says the Lord!” And He sparked their enthusiasm for Him. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek en theos, to have God within.

My brothers and sisters: Tithe! And let’s watch our spark be fanned into flames!