Matthew 16:19. Jesus said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
(Hold up a cell phone.) This is you. (Point to a wall outlet.) That is God. (Hold up the charger cord.) This is the Keys to Power. A cell phone can survive on its own for only a certain amount of time before it finally dies. Why? It runs out of power. And what happens the closer it gets to 0%? Chaos starts to take over because we know that once the battery runs out, that’s it. It’s over. Our phone is dead. It becomes good for nothing. So what do we need to do? We need to plug it in to recharge the battery.
God is the source of all power and life. If we don’t plug into Him regularly, we will eventually burn out, break down, and spiritually die. No one can spiritually survive without God, just as your cell phone cannot survive without plugging in and recharging. And, do you know what? No one can physically survive if they are spiritually dead. You will die quicker without spiritual health and life.
So, what is power?
It is, by definition, “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.” In other words, if you have power, you have control over people or places or things.
Believe it or not, most people want power. They want control. This is not bad. It’s actually the way we were created. When God first made Adam and Eve, He gave them power over ALL the Earth. He made them like Him. As He had supreme power over all the Heavens, He gave supreme power to Adam and Eve and all their offspring over all the Earth.
So, it’s in our nature to want to be in control. Most of us feel very frustrated and stressed when we aren’t in control. But how do we gain power so we can be more in control over our lives? Does God want us to simply feel helpless all the time over our circumstances? I mean, we KNOW God is in control and rules over all things, and as Christians we’re supposed to give Him full control over our lives; but what can WE do? What does He want us to do? Are we just supposed to be passive all the time and just be patient and accept whatever happens to us?
What we’re going to cover in this lesson series is what are the keys that we Christians can use - or rather what actions can we take - to unlock “the kingdom of heaven”, the gates to power and authority and control over our lives. We’re going to discover how the prophets and apostles went from being common, everyday fishermen to champions of Christ.
In order to find out what the keys are, though, we need to start at the beginning. Did you know that the original sin of mankind is all about power and control? What is the original sin of mankind? (Allow for answers.)
Let’s look at Genesis. What is the first commandment God gave to humans? (Genesis 1:28: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”)
What is the second commandment God gave to humans? (Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”)
So, what are the two main drives within humans? What are, essentially, throughout history, the two greatest powers that control people? (Sex and power/greed - greed being the desire to gain power through material wealth.)
What, therefore, is original sin? Was it breaking either of these first two laws? (Allow for responses.) No. God gave a third law. Original sin has to do with breaking this third law. Does anyone know the third law God gave? (Allow for answers.)
Genesis 2:15-17: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
There is SO much we could unravel here, but we don’t have time to get into it. Basically, what I want to focus on is that the third law was, essentially, what?
Tithe. God was basically saying that Adam and Eve had power over ALL the Earth and everything in it. They were like God in that whatever they would command, it would be done on Earth as it is with God in Heaven. However, there was but ONE thing that God was withholding from them. ONE tree in all the world was to be off limits. They could eat from ANY other plant in all the world. They just needed to not eat from this one.
And what is tithe? It is setting aside 1/10th of everything you have and dedicating it to God. Tithe means “one tenth of annual produce or earnings”. (Side note: I believe God created 10 trees in the garden: The Tree of Life, basically all the resources a person needs to live, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the tithe to God, and 8 other fruit bearing trees that they could eat from representing that 80% of all you make SHOULD be for fun. I think that is why later He set the tithe at 1/10th of everything you have. My theory is that it was established in the Garden of Eden at the very beginning. But that’s just a theory. There is literally no evidence of this. It just makes sense to me because God typically sets examples like this right from the beginning, and that’s why He later asks for the same thing of people. Basically, if He asks for 1/10th now, it’s because He always asked for 1/10th from the very beginning.)
Anyway, tithe is God wanting humans to set aside a portion of everything that He has given to them, and He wants humans to devote that portion to Him. Why?
Again, there are MANY reasons why God didn’t want them to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, but the main focus right now is on why tithe is important. So, the answer I’m looking for is that tithe forces people to give honor to God, and it is an act of love and trust in Him. It is acknowledging God as the supreme authority over us and the ONE who gives us life and sustains us. Basically, because all blessings come from Him, we are turning around and honoring Him by giving back.
Tithe doesn’t HAVE to be 10% or 1/10th of everything we earn. This is the ideal and the established practice of tithe, but it is not what God is really after. Again, what is the purpose of tithe? It is honoring God by giving back to Him. It is an act of love and trust. Basically, if you love Him, you’ll give at least some portion of what you earn back to Him to show Him that you love and trust Him. It is certainly encouraged to give 10%, but God is more interested in where your heart is.
Luke 21:1-4 says, “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”
Basically, whatever a person gives out of love and honor and trust to God, He will honor it. It isn’t about the amount. It’s about a person loving God. The widow in Jesus’ story was giving in faith and love. Her absolute devotion to God meant more than the amount.
So what is original sin? It’s robbing God of His tithe. But what is it REALLY?
Notice what’s REALLY happening in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were actually trying to take FULL control over their lives, taking it away from God AND one another. They were basically trying to take full control over everything, casting God aside because they wanted to BE gods themselves.
Look what Genesis 3:4-5 says. What does Satan say to tempt Eve? “‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. 5 ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil.’”
What ACTUALLY tempted them to eat from that tree? They wanted to be “LIKE GOD”. Original sin, not giving tithe, therefore, is about saying to God, “I don’t want You or need You. I’m going to take care of myself. I’m going to take ALL that You’ve given me, and I’m going to do with it whatever I want. I’m in charge of my own life, and I’m giving You absolutely nothing - no part of me.”
It was all about control. Adam and Eve wanted to be gods. They wanted to take control and power and authority away from Him. They didn’t want Him to have ANY authority over them whatsoever. Again, remember, they had EVERYTHING in the world but that one thing. It was the ONLY thing they didn’t have power or authority or control over.
So original sin is pride. Ah. We throw that word around a lot, but what is pride?
It is basically the desire to elevate yourself above what you were created to be. God made Adam and Eve to be rulers of the Earth, but they weren’t even content to be rulers of the Earth. They wanted to elevate themselves to the position of being gods. What was Satan’s sin? The same thing. He wasn’t content to be Son of the Morning and Highest of All God’s Creations. He wants to BE God.
This is something for us to consider. Humility says, “Whatever God has given me and wherever I am in life, I am happy and content.” Pride says, “I’m not happy unless I’m elevated to…” Fill in the blank. How do you know if you’re being proud? Ask yourself, “What am I fighting for? Do I feel like I NEED to be the boss over everyone? Am I not happy unless I win in every argument? Am I unhappy at work unless I’m constantly being promoted to bigger and better and higher positions? Am I unhappy at home unless I’m right? Why do I feel like I NEED whatever it is that is driving me?”
Tithing/Giving, therefore, is the very first Key to Power. By tithing, you are humbling yourself. You are showing God through action that you love and honor and trust Him. You are telling Him that you want Him to be in control over you. You want Him to take His rightful place as ruler of your life. He doesn’t NEED anything from you. He established tithing for us, to give us the ability to honor Him and show Him love and trust and respect. If He didn’t give us Tithing, we’d have nothing really to show Him true love and devotion in return. Praise and worship is good, but it is actually just lip service. Tithing puts your money where your mouth is.
And this is a Key to Power because when we tithe, we give God back authority in our lives so that He can then provide for us the way He wants to. You see, He respects us and our decisions, just like a parent would a grown-up adult child. If we take tithe away from Him, we say, “I can do life myself. I don’t need You.” So He steps back and gives you your space. He gives you exactly what you want. You want to take care of things yourself. Fine. Go right ahead.
Listen: You cannot have power and authority in your life if you don’t give tithe. It’s plain and simple. Why? It’s the original sin to not give tithe. As power and authority were stripped from Adam and Eve because they robbed God of the tithe, so power and authority will be stripped from us. If we don’t give God tithe, we don’t give Him respect, and we aren’t asking Him to take care of us.
See? When you tithe, you give him back the authority in your life. You say, “God, I can’t do this myself. I need You to be my provider. I trust you to take care of me.” And because He respects us and our decisions, if we give Him our tithe, He then honors our request and steps IN and takes control. Again, He gives you exactly what you ask for, just like a parent would an adult child. You want Him to take care of things? Fine. Tithe and watch as He starts to take control and guide you.
Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” God is LITERALLY saying, “Test me. Tithe and watch what happens.”
And again, it doesn’t take 10%. God established 10% as a guide and as an ideal. It wasn’t so that people could get all technical about it. God wants people to be what?
Cheerful givers. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
So what kind of tithe/offering does God really want? He wants people to give from their hearts. He wants it to be a sign of love and trust and devotion to Him. Some may give more than 10%. Some may give less. That isn’t important to Him. What is important is that you do it.
And here’s another concept that many overlook. Giving tithe should be to the church first and foremost - whichever church you call home. Why?
Because God established the tithe in our fallen world partially so that the Word of God can continue to be spread throughout the world. He was being practical, not just spiritual, which is something God also often does.
But there are other ways to give tithes/offerings. Matthew 25:40 says: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Each of us is God’s representative on Earth. When we look at one another, we are looking at God’s Chosen. Whatever we give to one another, we also give to God because we are all extensions of Him. His Holy Spirit dwells in us, linking us together as ONE body. Therefore, whatever we do for each other, we do for Him. Even when we give to non-Christians, we give to Him because He desires to make those unbelievers His representatives. There is nothing more important to Him in this world than to save the Lost. So if we give to them, we also give to Him because that is where His heart is.
Pastor E. talked a couple weeks ago about why we need to go to church. One reason is to receive help and blessings from one another, but another is that we are supposed to BE a blessing to others. We are supposed to receive blessings from one another. We are supposed to GIVE to one another. We are representatives of Christ. We are His hands and feet. If we don’t come together, how is Christ going to use US to GIVE since He left the world so WE could BE Him to one another?
Now here’s a common problem. In order to give to one another, we, collectively, need to ALLOW others to give to us. This is hard for many. Lots of us don’t mind giving so much to others, but receiving is another matter. We may even tell people we have a need, but then when someone tries to fill that need, we withdraw.
Consider this: If you deny others the ability to give to you, then you are denying them the ability to be more like God - to be a blessing to someone else. Everyone who gives to others is rewarded by God, but if you deny them the ability to give, how can they be rewarded?
Now there are those who go around constantly telling people about their problems because they are hoping people will constantly give to them and support them. That’s a whole other story. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about people you know who really don’t want to rely on others. They’re going through something, but they won’t let anyone help them. This is actually a far more common scenario than those who go around trying to mooch off everyone.
To those who withdraw from someone trying to give to them, I want to encourage you to step outside your comfort zone. Don’t keep your needs to yourself all the time. Part of allowing God to handle your needs is allowing other Christians to help you. God REALLY wants to work THROUGH His Children, but we’re always trying to get Him to act supernaturally apart FROM His Children. Again, WE are meant to be His hands and feet, so you may be struggling simply because you aren’t letting God work through His children to help you. This, too, is pride, believe it or not. It is you controlling exactly how you want God to answer your prayers.
Do you see why giving and allowing others to give is one of the Keys to Power? Imagine how many issues we’d actually be able to resolve if we SHARED one another’s burdens - allowing one another to help resolve our issues. That’s what they did in the early church, and here’s what happened:
Acts 4:32-34 says, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they SHARED everything they had. With great POWER the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so POWERFULLY at work in them all that there were NO needy persons among them.” None! Did God step out of Heaven and miraculously meet all their needs? No. THEY shared everything and THAT was why no one had any needs. God didn’t need to part the clouds and drop mana on them. They took care of each other the way God has always wanted people to take care of one another.
So give others - your brothers and sisters - the opportunity to be a blessing to you; to be more like Jesus, so they can receive blessings in return. This is one of the main reasons why giving is a Key To Power. When we give, we help meet the needs of one another, helping one another carry the loads we are carrying in life.
How do we give then? We give to God’s House first, which is our tithe, thus showing that we love and honor Him above all else. Then we give to others second, thus showing that we love and honor what is most important to Him - His Children. We give not only of our money, but we also give of whatever we can give - time, gifts, emotional support, prayer, etc.
And it all comes back to this. What are the two greatest commandments?
Matthew 12:29-31 says, “‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’”
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