My Hallelujah Belongs to YOU, Part 4
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
November 1, 2026
Sermon in a Sentence
God 1 st .
My Kingdom Assignment Scriptures
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his
statutes and rules in Israel.
1 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and
to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us
to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Matthew 22:36-38 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus
replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:36-39 39 And a second is
like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the
Law and the Prophets.
Deuteronomy 8:11-15,17-18 11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his
commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you
have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds
and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14
then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the
strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God,
for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he
swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Tithing 101: Key Truths
1. A tithe is one-tenth of our income
2. The Biblical foundation for tithing is God’s ownership and our stewardship
3. Tithing/giving isn’t really about money, it’s about who’s first.
4. The purpose of tithes and offerings was (and is) to support religious servants, to celebrate
God, and to care for the needy
Numbers 18: 21,25-26,29 21“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance
in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 25 The Lord said to
Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the
tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s
offering. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything
given to you.’
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and
flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his
Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 28 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe
of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. 29 And the Levite,
because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and
the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your
God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
Nehemiah 10:37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to
the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees
and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it
is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.
Nehemiah 13:10-12 10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been
given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone
back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of
God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.12 All Judah
brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food
from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should
receive their living from the gospel.
Galatians 6:6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers,
sharing all good things with them.
1 Timothy 5:17-18 NLT 17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,
especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says,
“You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in
another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
5. True tithing comes out of our wallets but it begins in our hearts.
Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God
knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Luke 18:10-12 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a
tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not
like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast
twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Matthew 5:21-44 It was said…but I say
- …You shall not murder… but don’t even be angry
- …You shall not commit adultery...don’t even look lustfully at a woman has already committed adultry
- …Love your neighbor…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 23:23 (NLT) “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees.
Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but
you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should
tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Matthew 5:17,20 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the
law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
My Hallelujah Belongs to YOU,
Part 3
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
October 25, 2026
Sermon in a Sentence
God 1st.
God 1st in Worship = God Alone in Worship,
God 1st in Stewardship = priority and best
Matthew 22:36-38 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Tithing 101: Key Truths
- A tithe is one-tenth of your earnings
Leviticus 27:30-32 30 “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. 31 If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. 32 Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy.
Exodus 23:19 19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
- The Biblical foundation for tithing is God’s ownership and our stewardship
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Haggai 2:8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
Psalm 10:7-15 7 “O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! 8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. 9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. 10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. 13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? 14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. 15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Deuteronomy 8:18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
Luke 16:10-12 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
- Tithing/giving isn’t really about money, it’s about whose first. Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Disclaimer: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We believe and teach that the Bible is God’s Word — His opinion — and provides His instruction for how to live life under His rule (i.e., the Kingdom of God).
