Faithfulness and Stewardship: The Blessing of Tithing

The teaching invites attentive study and an open heart, urging listeners to put on a "student's cap" and receive practical instruction about faithfulness and stewardship. Attention is drawn first to the Holy Spirit as the ongoing helper—comforter, advocate, counselor—who guides believers, corrects drifting, and equips them to live by Scripture. Using the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), the exposition identifies the master as Christ, the servants as followers given authority and responsibility, and the third servant as one who is blessed yet lacks relationship and responsibility. The emphasis on numbers—five, two, and one—underscores responsibility more than the specific gifts themselves.

Three moments when God will get a believer’s attention are outlined: first, when one feels insignificant and tempted to hide gifts; second, when one fails to bring full effort to what matters most; third, when readiness and anticipation of the Master's return are absent. Personal anecdotes—lessons learned from a father about work ethic and anticipation—illustrate how readiness and active service multiply kingdom impact. A grateful shout-out recognizes those whose hands are not in their pockets, whose regular service and giving sustain church life and local outreach.

A careful historical and biblical defense of tithing follows. The practice is traced from Abraham’s voluntary tenth to Melchizedek through Abel’s firstfruits, and into New Testament references. Malachi 3:10 is read as a clear statement: the tithe belongs to God, is to be brought into the storehouse, and is linked with divine provision and protection. The tithe is presented as a moral, spiritual, and practical means to finance the structures that support worship, ministry, staff, outreach, utilities, and future projects. An object lesson with a simple illustration (a weekly income of “100 donuts”) demonstrates how regular 10% giving undergirds ministry operations and cascades provision through district and national structures.

The conclusion calls for faithfulness, a renewed commitment of life to God as Lord, and a readiness to give one’s best—both in service and in financial stewardship—with the assurance that obedience to these biblical principles opens the way for God’s blessing and faithful provision.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The Holy Spirit is an ever-present Helper The Spirit is described as counselor, advocate, and strength who actively corrects and instructs believers, not merely as a passive presence. Trusting this ongoing guidance reframes failure and drift as moments for reorientation rather than despair, inviting immediate obedience and learning. [04:17]
• 2. Stewardship honors God and sustains ministry Giving is portrayed as a moral and theological act that directly funds worship, care, staff, outreach, and future projects. Tithing is not a transaction to earn favor but a recognition that resources belong to God and are entrusted to the community for kingdom work. [18:46]
• 3. Eternal accountability for faithful stewardship The parable's focus on numbers emphasizes responsibility: gifts and opportunities carry a divine expectation of faithful use. Believers should view abilities and resources as entrusted for active investment, knowing that Christ’s return will assess stewardship, not merely identity. [06:01]
• 4. Ready hands multiply kingdom impact Practical readiness—anticipating needs, bringing one’s best effort, and refusing to keep gifts idle—produces efficiency and blessing in communal ministry. Regular, visible service strengthens the church’s capacity and models a life aligned to the Master’s plans. [11:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:18] - Opening Worship & Praise
• [00:57] - Put On Your Student’s Cap
• [03:06] - Series on Faithfulness
• [04:17] - The Holy Spirit: Our Helper
• [05:03] - Parable of the Talents Explained
• [06:01] - Christ’s Return and Judgment
• [07:44] - Three Warnings from the Parable
• [11:28] - Using Talents in Service
• [14:55] - Biblical History of the Tithe
• [18:46] - Malachi 3:10 and Promise
• [20:54] - Object Lesson: The Tithe Demonstration
• [26:44] - Practical Church Expenses
• [30:50] - Assurance from Faithful Obedience
• [31:09] - Prayer and Recommitment

{'input_documents': [Document(metadata={'source': "00:00"}, page_content="Give him a hand. Thank you, pastor David. Well done. What an exciting place to be. Amen? Wow. Amen. That was phenomenal. [00:18] Why don't you stand with me, for just a moment? Gonna get a few things out here while we You're clapping already? Okay. Alright. I think that'll work. Okay. Now [00:57] I would like you, if you will, to put on your student's cap. K? As I teach, you will need an attentiveness [01:19] today, an open mind,"), Document(metadata={'source': "01:27"}, page_content="and an eagerness to learn from God's word. My topic will be about something our family [01:34] has faithfully participated in from many generations. And we've been blessed, and it's gone well for us in part because of that. So I'd like to tell you about it. I will do the teaching, [01:52] and you can do whatever you like with it. I understand that some of you are carrying heavy burdens. And what I have to say today just might be part of the solution that will open up the windows of heaven of blessing on you, which is my heart's desire [02:22] today. Heavenly father, as we look to your word, we pray that you'll guide us as we study the scriptures. Have your way with us. We pray in Jesus' name. And everyone said"), Document(metadata={'source': "02:41"}, page_content="Amen. Now turn to somebody and say, just say, this is gonna be good. Yeah. [02:46] Okay. There you go. Have a seat. You ever like that when you have a meal at home, you sit down, you look at the food, and you say, that's gonna be good. Well, I hope that that's what you can envision today. Last week, I began a two part message on the subject of faithfulness. [03:06] I thought about the importance of having an early warning system in place as we travel the road of life. It's because we tend to, as people, tend to, veer off track, [03:24] unexpectedly change our direction, choose some unintended path, make errors in judgment, get distracted, become fatigued in life's challenges. [03:39]"), Document(metadata={'source': "03:43"}, page_content="And we need something or someone to help keep us within the lines of biblical values, healthy spirituality, and God's purpose for our lives. I mentioned the main someone [03:57] is the holy spirit who in John chapter 14, Jesus said, would be given to God's people and will always be present with them. So as you enter into a new year and with its challenges, remember that the holy spirit is with you. [04:17] The holy spirit will be, Jesus said, our helper. Comes from a Greek word which means comforter, advocate, interceder, counselor, [04:34] someone who would and will strengthen"), Document(metadata={'source': "04:40"}, page_content="and stand by us as we navigate life. He will [04:45] teach us how to live according to the word of God. That's what he will do. I also began teaching on one of Jesus' parables found in Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 to 30. And so far, we've discovered that the master in the story represents Jesus who will temporarily, [05:03] he said, leave his followers. Jesus is going to heaven. The first two servants in his story represent his followers, Jesus' followers, who in his absence are given authority, [05:23] abilities, and tasks to care for the kingdom of God, Jesus' kingdom work."), Document(metadata={'source': "05:37"}, page_content='The third servant in the story represents people who are blessed by God, but have no relationship, [05:42] no respect or sense of responsibility with, for, or to Jesus. So that concept is important as you understand Matthew chapter 25 in this parable. In the parable, we are told Jesus will return [06:01] and will judge every person. The judgment will be for what they have faithfully done or unfaithfully [06:18] not done on earth with their lives and their talents. The judgment will have, listen now, eternal implications. [06:32]'), Document(metadata={'source': "06:34"}, page_content="That's in Matthew 25. And finally, we discovered the words talent refer to currency, ability refers to capability, and the numbers, the three numbers, five, two, and one in the story represent responsibility because the Greek emphasis in the text is not on the words in the parable, but on the numbers, [06:56] which is important. Meaning two things, what you do with your finances is important to god. And symbolically, what you do with your opportunities, abilities, and potential to do good in this life is also important to him. [07:17] So using the parable, I began sharing three times when you can expect god to get your attention if you start to veer off the road of faithfulness to him. And when he tries to get our attention, he will. First, [07:44] when you and I begin thinking we are insignificant"), Document(metadata={'source': "07:49"}, page_content="and have nothing to contribute, verses 14 through to 18, you can expect that the holy spirit will do some knocking on your door. [07:59] And the life lesson was when you look at your life and consider how god has blessed you and whether it is with much or little, doesn't matter. It's important that you and I remember that God has a reason for our lives. We are significant. [08:22] We do have a purpose, and we'll always have a purpose as long as we are breathing people. We will have something to contribute. It may change, but we all have importance. Second, [08:46] we need to expect the holy spirit to get our attention when you and I, for some reason, don't give our best effort to what is important in life."), Document(metadata={'source': "08:58"}, page_content="It's also found in verses 14 to 18. So we have all kinds of things going on, and god wants us to look at the important things of what's going on and devote our attention [09:03] to those things. And the life lesson was everyday god expects each of us to bring our best self into every god given god given situation and do good things in the world, and that means putting our 100% best effort forward. Last week, I mentioned something about my father. [09:29] My father had a strong work ethic which he schooled me in. And one thing he would never allow me to do was to put my hands in my pockets. I did that once, [09:54] and it didn't go well. You see, my father believed you can't work unless your hands are ready to do something, [10:10]"), Document(metadata={'source': "10:15"}, page_content="which for me was true as I helped him, you know. You can't help somebody building something like this. But it's not necessarily true for all people. So other people some people in the world have no hands. [10:34] There's another thing I learned by default, being schooled by my father. It was to always anticipate his next move. That way, I could have things ready for him as he was doing projects. The project would go faster and be more efficient. If I anticipated his next move and was slightly ahead of him in getting things ready. [11:05] I did that often and I discovered that it pleased him and it had lots of benefits. Today, I would like to, what we call, shout out [11:28] to every person in this church whose talents are not in their pockets"), Document(metadata={'source': "11:40"}, page_content="whose talents are not in their pockets. They use their abilities to help make our world a better place and our church a stronger force for God. Thank you. Thank you. Some of you have no idea the difference you make [11:56] with your work within the local community and your work within the church community. You faithfully give of yourself and your abilities, you volunteer and show up for services, you pray, and you help financially. It is more than just a statement [12:18] when I say to you, we could not do this without you. The other thing I would say is that all of us should be expecting the soon return of Jesus. [12:34] Yes. Anticipating our heavenly father's next move, keeping in readiness mode,"), Document(metadata={'source': "12:55"}, page_content="and learning more about what is ahead. Truths in the word of God that are abundant that many of us don't know anything about. [13:03] All who study the bible know that God has a preoccupation with the future. He is constantly pointing his people forward from the past, from the present problems, and to what he's going to do. [13:29] That's been his habit. Now, because Jesus is talking about stewardship and money, can I share something I've been thinking about this week? Would that be fair? [13:51] Can I do that? Okay. I've pastored five churches. I know what it's like to deeply care about the people who depend upon the church. To feel the pressure of leadership responsibilities, [14:10]"), Document(metadata={'source': "14:14"}, page_content="to want to manage the church well, to carry the financial burden of the church. I know what that's like. To silently struggle silently struggle with concern over meeting budget and pray that more people would share the load. [14:33] It is really true. Faithfulness in tithing and giving is what God designed to sustain his work. It has always been this way from the beginning and there is no substitute for it. [14:55] The church ministries cannot exist without you. This said, let me do two things. First, give you a brief history, and then refer to the scriptures, and then we'll have a, [15:16] uh-huh, an object lesson. Part"), Document(metadata={'source': "15:28"}, page_content="three, I can feel it coming. A brief history. Financially supporting the systems that support us is a principle that is thousands of years old. [15:42] The first use of the term tithe in the bible is found in Genesis 14 verse 20, when Abraham gave king Melchizedek a tenth or tithe of the spoils from a battle he had won. It was an act of gratitude for God's blessing given to [16:05] Abraham, and he was giving to Melchizedek this tenth of the spoils voluntarily, [16:23] and it all predated the Mosaic law. However, the principle of honoring God with the first fruits or tithe dates back to the beginning of mankind and to the first children"), Document(metadata={'source': "16:45"}, page_content="born to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter four. When Abel offered God the first fruits or the best of his flock, [16:50] but Cain was selfish and disobedient to God with what and how he presented from his harvest. And finally, in Matthew 23 and Luke 11, Jesus acknowledged the tithe as he spoke about generosity. And in Hebrews seven, the writer of the book of Hebrews uses the tithe [17:16] in the commendation in the word of God of Abraham's act of giving the tithe [17:29] many many hundreds of years earlier to Melchizedek. So it was surfaced in the New Testament. So whether we are religious or not religious, it's expected God's people will do their part to finance the systems and organizations that work for their welfare and the welfare of others. [17:50]"), Document(metadata={'source': "17:54"}, page_content="As Christians, we are to do our part, paying our taxes, giving money as offerings to special projects, giving money for alms to the needy, and presenting our tithes to the church we attend. It is morally right. [18:10] Emotionally stabilizing, intellectually reasonable, universally an acceptable and responsible way to live, [18:22] spiritually good for us, and it's biblical. So the history. Now the scriptures. Let me read from the bible. Malachi three ten eleven say, bring all the tithes of the tent into the storehouse so that there may this is god speaking. So that there may be food in my house and test me now in the ways, says the Lord of hosts. [18:46] If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you, so great a blessing until there's no room to receive it."), Document(metadata={'source': "19:00"}, page_content="Then I will rebuke the devourer, which in the context here refers to insects and plagues in the field for your sake. And he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes before harvest, says the lord. So what's the bible saying here? The bible is saying, god claims the tithe [19:19] belongs to him. So what he's saying? He's saying in the scriptures that his people are to be faithful in presenting it to him through the storehouse, which in the Old Testament was the temple in Jerusalem, but [19:41] now is in the New Testament the church you attend. God's people are to present the whole tithe, which was in the old testament 10% of the harvest, but in the new testament, it's 10% of your gross income. The presenting of the tithe brings [20:04] god's favor and blessing upon us. And, however, to use that, which is god's"), Document(metadata={'source': "20:16"}, page_content="for ourselves, which is what Malachi three is saying, [20:18] is considered by god did you catch it? Robbing him. And it brings divine judgment and suffering upon those who do. So again, let me say from a pastor's heart [20:37] and a heart of love, thank you for listening to that. That's my alarm saying it's time to stop. And and and and thank you for your faithfulness, those of you who who are. Now my object lesson, and then we'll end. Okay. So [20:54] let let me let me explain it this way, if I may. So we have 10 little bar 10 little cups around here. [21:10]"), Document(metadata={'source': "21:17"}, page_content="Alright. And this box represents your gross earnings. K? You got? And [21:27] they just drop off so easily. Okay? So there you go. And here's here's so let's just say I had a job. It's the best way I can figure it out. Let's just say I had a job, and I got paid [21:41] once a week with a 100 donuts or the little Timbits. K? So so that's what I earned. I got a 100 little Timbits for doing my work. That's my gross. A 100. Got that? Yeah. So [22:04] god says 10% of that belongs to him."), Document(metadata={'source': "22:16"}, page_content="Okay? So that's his. This is 90%. This is 10. This is what I can live on and use, and this is his percent. I can't touch it. So what I do with this 10% [22:27] is biblically, according to Malachi three, I present it to the Lord. And, I'm just gonna have some fun here today, if that's okay. [22:38] And and I'm just going to take one of these out, and we're gonna put it in here. And this is part of the storehouse of the church. And it just happens that I talked to the pastor this week, and I said, you know, I've come up with a list of what I think the church uses its money for, but help me out if this is true or whatever. So, pastor agreed that this church takes 10% of its general money and sends it to our district office in Burlington [23:04] so that the ministry the district does can be carried out because of your church and all the other district churches sending 10% of their general money. So you give you give money and goes in the general fund, church takes 10% and gives it as a tithe. So you tithe, the church tithes. And the district tithes to the national."), Document(metadata={'source': "23:34"}, page_content="So it just works that way. When I worked with the district, we needed $500,000 [23:37] a month just to break even. Because of all the things the district does. Anyways, we're talking about church. So it it takes 10% and gives it to the the district. Part of the 10% [24:00] that we give goes to outreach and special events in the church. And don't we like all the special events in the church? They're exciting. Oh, yeah. Let's clap. But they cost money. Okay. So some of the tithe goes to do that. And oh, we can't forget the employees. Okay. So pastor Scott, pastor Dave, and the other people, I hate you know what? Part of the money we give to the church are the tithe that goes to, [24:24] paying for the staff. K. We're we're like our staff. We want them to stay around. Right? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I mean yeah. They they they got bills to pay too. You know? They've got things to you know? They got mortgages, and they got cars, and they got food and stuff to all to buy, and so, you know what? Let's give them some money too. Okay. The church also pay has taxes, and so the church some of your money goes to pay the taxes. Then there's church ministries like children and youth and adults, like the pastor did so well today talking about all these things. It's exciting. [24:58]"), Document(metadata={'source': "25:11"}, page_content="So, you know, we like that, so that's where some of the money goes. This one surprised me. Pastor told me this week the utilities of our church cost $2,500 a month. [25:25] 600 a month alone for heat. So where's that money come from? Well, it comes from your tithes, at least part of it. And then, [25:38] future projects. You know, maybe a year from now, the church would like to do something. Well, it takes money to store up to do that. So a little bit of your money just goes into the bank and then kinda store it up so that we can this think this was remodeled, a lot of it, with just reserve money that you had given. The church was faithful in storing up, so we didn't was able to be done. And then there's repairs and maintenance. There's grass and snow removal. [26:07] All that stuff costs money, and so some of that is cared for by that. And then we got another one here, equipment. Well, we might need a new computer. You know? It's great to have the people back there doing all the tech stuff, but they need equipment to work with. Right? Yep. Yes. I mean, this is not sitting back there sleeping. They're doing things with all this technology."), Document(metadata={'source': "26:31"}, page_content="And then we got one more, and there's more things the church needs money for. Supplies. They gotta buy things that supply, like, paper and all kinds of stuff. Oh, all that stuff. So 10%. Now what I bring here every week from my 90 my 100%, [26:44] the the 10% isn't gonna do it. It's gonna take your 10%, and it's gonna take your 10%, and your 10%. Otherwise, [27:00] you know, these things oh, you know what? I feel kinda hungry. What am I taking away from? I'm taking away from the church ministries. Now [27:21] if I ate that, my doctor would say that's gonna be not good for you because I gotta watch what I eat with sugar. But if I ate that, it wouldn't be good for me. I might start feeling sick for other reasons because I'd be guilty before God. So if we start withholding, there's things that"), Document(metadata={'source': "27:47"}, page_content="don't have what it's it needs to do what [27:49] needs to get done. And and so I'm gonna bring next week from this is the next week. I'm gonna bring from my next payment of a 100 donuts my full 10%. I'm not gonna touch any of it for myself. Okay? As I tried to do here with hold this. I'm not gonna do that. I'm just pretending I ate it. Okay? But I didn't. [28:13] So we need to understand that tithing is a principle that has a foundation. And so here's the other thing. You know what? When you give to the church, [28:31] you go home blessed. You do. You simply say, you know what? I I I I brought my tithe, but you know what? Just being among all this stuff, you know, we get blessed by the Lord just by doing here, just just by bringing in these. God is doing great things in our lives, [28:52]"), Document(metadata={'source': "29:02"}, page_content="in our midst, and we walk home blessed. The lights are on. We all held a part in that. It's great to be in the light. We've got the pastors. We've got all this stuff going on. It's because it's being sustained by the regular tithes and the offerings of the people. Do you get what I'm saying here? So we can walk through history, and we can say, oh, yeah. It's got foundation all through history. We could walk through the scriptures and we say, yes. Biblically sound everywhere through the scriptures. But somehow we've gotta take this, make it practical in our lives, [29:36] and we gotta live this thing out. Because when we do, the bible says god opens the windows of heaven, not before, but opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing. What that blessing is, I have no idea. We've been blessed abundantly over the years in many, many, many ways. [30:00] I don't know how we made ends meet at times, to tell you the truth. But one thing I do know, we were faithful doing this. So was the generations that were in front of us, and it is true. [30:22] God's been faithful. And"), Document(metadata={'source': "30:29"}, page_content="if you trust him and take the step of faith, I will guarantee you. [30:35] I'm an old man now, but I can look back to my life. I can guarantee you, you doing the right thing will end up right. So [30:50] let's stand together. Oh, thanks for your open mindedness, and keep your student hat on because I guess it's gonna be a three part series. Heavenly father, bless your people. [31:09] Bless this church. Continue to bless this church. And as the pastor so eloquently described today, the potential that lies ahead for us all. God, help us all"), Document(metadata={'source': "31:25"}, page_content="to give our best to do what [31:27] you want us to do as we present our tithes and our offerings to you to use for your work. [31:40] We trust you with that. And in doing so, we, first of all, think of our relationship with you, and we say, god, I make a fresh commitment of my life to you today because that comes first. And once that is [31:58] first and you are truly the lord of our lives, this comes easier. And so bless your people today in Jesus' name.")], 'output_text': ''}