Sermon Recap
Three Aspects of Tithing
Part 2 of 2 in Generosity and the Tithe
Parte 2 de 2 de la serie Generosity and the Tithe
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Brian Hunter · July 13, 2025
“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money…. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Scripture Referenced
Recap
Brian and Connor walked through Matthew 6, breaking down what they framed as three aspects of tithing. The first is love: drawing on Luke 7:47 and the story of the woman who anointed Jesus’s feet, Brian argued that giving flows out of how much a person recognizes they’ve been forgiven, “a person who is forgiven little shows only a little love.” He pushed back on any false accounting system that ranks sinners against each other, pointing to James 2:10 and Isaiah’s “no one is righteous, no not one” to level the ground: everyone’s need for forgiveness is total, and giving is one practical expression of gratitude for that.
The second aspect is trust. Returning to Matthew 6:24-34, Brian and Connor unpacked Jesus’s teaching that no one can serve both God and money, and that anxiety over provision often reveals where trust is actually placed, in personal hustle and control rather than in God’s care. The third aspect came from John 6’s feeding of the five thousand: the disciples started with five loaves and two fish and ended with twelve baskets of leftovers after handing what little they had over to Jesus. Connor highlighted that Jesus tested Philip with the question knowing what he would do, tying the miracle to surrender rather than self-sufficient problem-solving.
The through-line across all three aspects was that tithing isn’t a transaction to manage but a posture: love that responds to grace already received, trust that releases control, and surrender that allows God to multiply what’s given rather than hoarding it out of fear.
Touch Points
- Brian said giving flows from how much you recognize you’ve been forgiven. How does your own sense of being forgiven shape your generosity?
- Jesus said no one can serve both God and money. Where do you notice money quietly competing for the place only God should hold?
- The disciples handed Jesus five loaves and two fish and it became enough for thousands. What “small” resource are you holding back from surrendering to God?
- Philip could have tried to solve the crowd’s need in his own strength but didn’t get the chance, Jesus already had a plan. Where do you tend to default to your own strength instead of trusting God’s?