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Lesson 27 - God's TreasurersIntroduction: Human beings were created loving and trustworthy, but sin has made us selfcentered, greedy, and dishonest. Therefore, out of love, God has created ways to help us develop love and trust again so that we can be comfortable in heaven, and in harmony with its unselfish spirit. Today we will study this part of God's plan of redemption. 1. Who is the owner of the earth and everything in it? Ps. 50:10-14 [The Further-study verse is Deut. 10:14] (Psalms 50:10-14 NKJV) For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. {11} I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. {12} "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. {13} Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? {14} Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. 2. Money can be a great blessing, but what happens when we covet it and love it instead of the Giver? 1 Tim. 6:6-10 [Matt. 19:23, 24] (1 Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. {7} For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. {8} And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. {9} But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. {10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 3. Who gives us the skill and strength to acquire money? Deut. 8:18 [Acts 17:28; Eccl. 5:19] (Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV) "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 4. In one sense, we own nothing; everything we have is only loaned to us. When must we give an account of the goods entrusted to us? Luke 12:16-21 [Ps. 49:10, 16, 17] (Luke 12:16-21 NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. {17} "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' {18} "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. {19} 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' {20} "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' {21} "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 5. Since everything comes from God, and He has promised to provide for us, what attitude should we have about our daily needs? Matt. 6:25, 26 [Isa. 33:16] (Matthew 6:25-26 NKJV) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? {26} "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 6. Because God has promised to provide for us and we are not to worry, should we then be lazy and expect Him to make up for our lack of industry, planning, and frugality? 2 Thess. 3:7-10 [Gen. 3:19; 1 Thess. 4:11, 12; 1 Tim. 5:8] (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 NKJV) For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; {8} nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, {9} not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. {10} For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 7. What portion of our wealth does God claim for Himself? Lev. 27:30 (Leviticus 27:30 NKJV) 'And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the LORD. [Note: Tithe is from a Hebrew word which means 'tenth'. While all we have comes from the Lord; He permits us to use 9/l0ths and asks us to return 1/10 to test our faithfulness. "All the tithe . . . IS the Lord's." When we pay our tithe, we are but returning to God what is already His. Gen. 14:18-20; Gen. 28:18-22] 8. What was the tithe used for in Israel? Heb. 7:5 (Hebrews 7:5 NKJV) And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; [Note: The Levites were the tribe especially set apart for ministry to the Lord. Today the tithe is to be used for the support of God's ministry throughout the world. 1 Cor. 9:13, 14; Matt. 10:9, 10; Heb. 7:6, 9; Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, pp. 245-251] 9. Did Jesus recognize the principle of tithing? Luke 11:42 (Luke 11:42 NKJV) "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. [Note: Tithe does little good for the giver when given for show or to earn favor with God. Jesus said the Pharisees did right in giving their tithe, but they did it from a wrong motive, and were neglecting essential virtues, such as love, mercy, and faith. They needed a change of heart. Matt. 23:23] 10. Beside the tithe, what else did the children of Israel give to further the work of the Lord? Ex. 35:4, 5; 36:3-5 (Exodus 35:4-5 NKJV) And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: {5} 'Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; (Exodus 36:3-5 NKJV) And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. {4} Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, {5} and they spoke to Moses, saying, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do." [Note: The tithe is not an offering. We cannot offer God something He already owns! If we want to give something to the Lord, we must go beyond the tithe as did the children of Israel. In the Adventist Church, while the tithe supports the ministry, offerings support church schools, welfare work, various mission projects around the world, and local church programs. 1 Cor. 16:2] 11. What does God call those who withhold their tithes and offerings, and what does He promise those who are faithful with their tithes? Mal. 3:8-10 (Malachi 3:8-10 NKJV) "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. {9} You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. {10} Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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 such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. [Note: If robbing man is bad, how much more serious it is to rob God! Luke 6:38; Prov. 11:24, 25] 12. What factors besides the amount of money are important when we give to God? Luke 21:1-4 [Ps. 50:5; 2 Cor. 8:12] (Luke 21:1-4 NKJV) And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, {2} and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. {3} So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; {4} "for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had." 13. In what spirit should we give our offerings? 2 Cor. 9:7 [2 Cor. 8:9; Rom. 12:8; Matt. 6:1-4] (2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 14. Besides giving tithes and offerings to support God's work and workers, in what other kinds of giving should we become involved? Matt. 25:34-40 [Ps. 41:1-3] (Matthew 25:34-40 NKJV) "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: {35} 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; {36} 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' {37} "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? {38} 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? {39} 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' {40} "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 15. Where only is our money secure? Matt. 6:19, 20 [Luke 12:33, 34] (Matthew 6:19-20 NKJV) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; {20} "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 16. In what way are we affected by our giving habits? Matt. 6:21 [Matt. 19:21] (Matthew 6:21 NKJV) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Commitment: In the Adventist Church, ordained ministers, within a given country, receive the same basic salary regardless of the size of the church. The money given by church members does not go to them directly, but is sent to a central office for budgeting and distribution. The pastors encourage and lead the members into self-sacrifice and giving--not for themselves, but to help each one develop character and get ready for heaven. God does not need our money-He could rain down gold from heaven--but He is helping us to learn to trust Him, and to become loving and self-sacrificing, as Jesus was. Jesus gave His life; what can we give in comparison with that?
Further Study VersesQuestion 1 - Further Study (Deuteronomy 10:14 NKJV) "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. -->Back to Study Question 2 - Further Study (Matthew 19:23-24 NKJV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. {24} "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." -->Back to Study Question 3 - Further Study (Acts 17:28 NKJV) "for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' (Ecclesiastes 5:19 NKJV) As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. -->Back to Study Question 4 - Further Study (Psalms 49:10 NKJV) For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. (Psalms 49:16-17 NKJV) Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; {17} For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. -->Back to Study Question 5 - Further Study (Isaiah 33:16 NKJV) He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure. -->Back to Study Question 6 - Further Study (Genesis 3:19 NKJV) In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NKJV) that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, {12} that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV) But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. -->Back to Study Question 7 - Further Study (Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV) Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. {19} And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; {20} And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 28:18-22 NKJV) Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. {19} And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. {20} Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, {21} "so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. {22} "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You." -->Back to Study Question 8 - Further Study (1 Corinthians 9:13-14 NKJV) Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? {14} Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. (Matthew 10:9-10 NKJV) "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, {10} "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. (Hebrews 7:6 NKJV) but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. (Hebrews 7:9 NKJV) Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, -->Back to Study Question 9 - Further Study (Matthew 23:23 NKJV) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. -->Back to Study Question 10 - Further Study (1 Corinthians 16:2 NKJV) On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. -->Back to Study Question 11 - Further Study (Luke 6:38 NKJV) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Proverbs 11:24-25 NKJV) There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. {25} The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. -->Back to Study Question 12 - Further Study (Psalms 50:5 NKJV) "Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." (2 Corinthians 8:12 NKJV) For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. -->Back to Study Question 13 - Further Study (2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (Romans 12:8 NKJV) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Matthew 6:1-4 NKJV) "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. {2} "Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. {3} "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, {4} "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. -->Back to Study Question 14 - Further Study (Psalms 41:1-3 NKJV) Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. {2} The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. {3} The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. -->Back to Study Question 15 - Further Study (Luke 12:33-34 NKJV) "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. {34} "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -->Back to Study Question 16 - Further Study (Matthew 19:21 NKJV) Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." -->Back to Study
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