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What is God Saying About Your Offering? - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

Writer's picture: Pastor ShiflettPastor Shiflett

What Is God Saying about Your Offering?

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

 

Intro: This verse is about giving. This verse is about Cain and Abel’s offering.

Offering is FIRST MENTIONED in Genesis 4:3. Read it.

 

Giving is a major part of the Bible.

Giving was practiced by the first family in the Bible.

I just wanted to point out a few things about the giving of Cain and Abel.

 

There are some amazing doctrinal truths pertaining to salvation in these verses.

However, I want to look at these verses from the offering perspective.

The Bible says in Genesis 4:3 that Cain brought “…an offering unto the Lord.”

Abel’s sacrifice was called GIFTS in Hebrews 11:4.

 

There are several things about our giving and our offerings that we need to be reminded of this morning.

 

I. The Faith that Prompts our Offering

·        By faith Abel offered unto God…

 

We do not have to guess how Abel knew to bring an offering, or what to bring.

God told him. – either directly or indirectly.

We know this because the verse starts out “By faith Abel…”

The Bible is clear – Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

So he was told to bring an offering, and what to bring, either by Adam or by God Himself.

Either way, before there was an offering, there was a declaration of the Word of God, and he believed it.

 

QUOTE: What we give is measurable evidence of our faith.

I’ll go so far as to say, that if we give without faith, it doesn’t count.

·        Romans 14:23 …for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

Giving is not based on logic or human reasoning, but what God demands.

Man has ALWAYS been asked to give what God said to give.

 

God had a specific requirement for the offering.

We know that Cain was not an atheist. He believed in the existence of God.

·        Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Cain believed there was a God, but he also believed that his way was better.

Cain had a better idea about what kind of offering God would accept.

Humanly speaking, he was confident that God would be pleased.

 

Jude warned about the “way of Cain.”

·        11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,

Cain’s way was a disobedient way; unbelief; self-will; self-righteous.

Cain’s way was unacceptable, and it was rejected by God.

Abel, on the other hand, simply gave what God told him to give.

 

NOTE: It would be a tragic mistake to think that God is so desperate that He will just take whatever you give him.

He’s not a homeless man on the streetcorner holding out a cup.

God has standards; God has defined expectations; God has clearly laid out criteria for offerings.

This brings us to our second point.

 

II. The Focus that is the Purpose of our Offering

·        …Abel offered unto God

We don’t give for our gratification or our purposes.

We do not give to impress others or to buy influence.

Our giving is to God.

So many people think that they are giving to the church, or to the pastor.

When we give, we are giving unto the Lord.

·        Proverbs 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

 

If our giving does not honour God, it does not count!

If God is not honored by our offering, it is unbiblical and it is unacceptable.

 

You and I have not worshipped until we have given.


Abraham and Isaac went to the top of the mountain TO WORSHIP. (Gen. 22:5)

·        They didn’t have a song service.

·        They didn’t have a preaching service.

·        They didn’t have a prayer service.

·        They didn’t have a testimony service.

·        They went up there to have a giving service.

And it was called WORSHIP!!

Giving is one of the original forms of worship.

Abraham built altars all over the place.

They didn’t have singing and preaching at those altars.

He gave and he prayed. And it was called WORSHIP!!

 

And God doesn’t accept just any form of worship.

Even in the Old Testament, God had strict laws pertaining to the offerings.

What the people if Israel could bring and could not bring.

Who had to bring what, and when, and how.

God is not interested in offerings that DO NOT honor him!

TURN TO MALACHI 1.

 

Malachi 1

·        6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

·        7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.

·        8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

 

There is the right way and a wrong way to give.

·        …Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain

 

It would be a huge mistake to have the idea when it comes to giving “that it is the thought that counts.”

·        We can give the wrong amount.

·        We can give the wrong things.

·        We can give TO the wrong things.

·        We can give with the wrong motives.

·        We can give with the wrong attitude.

·        We can give in a better way, and in a more excellent way.

 

III. The Favor that is Proclaimed of our Offering

Our giving says a lot about us as individuals.

·        …by which he obtained witness that he was righteous…

 

Jesus mentioned Abel, calling him “righteous Abel” in Matthew.

Matthew 23

·        34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

·        35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

 

God testified of Abel’s giving.

·        …God testifying of his gifts…

 

Our giving can speak volumes even after we are dead and gone.

·        …and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

 

If God were to come down this morning, and testify of your gifts, what would He say?

·        God had respect unto Abel AND unto his offering. – Gen. 4:4

·        But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. – Gen. 4:5

 

You might say, “What I give is between me and the Lord.”

Turn with me to Mark 12.

Could God use you and your offerings as an object lesson for others?

God is not just interested in your giving, but God is interested in HOW you give.


Mark 12:43

  • 41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

  • 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

  • 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

·        44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

 

Someone can give LESS than you, and still give a more excellent sacrifice.

Jesus pointed this out to His disciples.

He wasn’t just interested in how much they gave, but in how much they had left AFTER they gave.

 

Conclusion: What is God saying about your offering?

One of these days, God is going to give a testimony about your giving!!

What is God going to say about your offerings?

How would you feel this morning about God standing up and testifying of YOUR gifts??

One day, He will.

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