Financially Faithful - Part 9: Offering Our Sacrifice

REVIEW

The series that we are currently on is entitled “Financially Faithful” where we are learning how we can be more faithful to the Lord in the financial area of our life. And over the past few weeks, we have been looking at the main way we can be most faithful in this area – in our giving. 

And regarding this subject of giving, let me reiterate to you that God does not need our money! He is not in lack! God just simply wants all our heart. And if He gets all our heart, then He will get our giving. It is that simple. 

You see, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is far more important than your gifts to Him (See Mark 12:33). However, never forget this one truth: You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving! In other words, you can give money to the Lord without your heart being in it, but when God has all of your heart, He will have all of your wallet or pocketbook as a by-product. God just wants our heart, church!  

So we spent a few weeks on the first & most foundational type of giving – the tithe. And we’ve learned everything from what the tithe is and why we give it to when the tithe is and where we give it. I would encourage you to go back and listen to those three weeks as we answered all these questions because tithing is foundational to us correctly stewarding our finances.

Then last week, we looked at another type of giving that is equally significant in the eyes of the Lord, and that is the giving of “alms.” We learned that this term simply describes gifts given to the poor. And we learned just how important remembering the poor is to the Lord. In fact, I call it God’s soapbox, because throughout the Scriptures, we see that taking care of the poor is a HUGE deal to God. In fact, it was something that He had to constantly correct His chosen people about.  

However, we learned some important wisdom when it comes to the day & time we live in—because giving to the poor isn’t as simple as it might have been in Bible times. For example, we learned that not all who claim to be poor are “really” poor. You see, in case you aren’t paying attention, in our country we have a lot of unethical, deceptive, and manipulating practices by some people in this area. You don’t have to drive far to see people hanging out at intersections & on street corners begging for money, and in many of these cases, it’s a scam. 

But the problem is that we as Christians – particularly us who have big hearts and are generous – can have the tendency to be gullible. Yes, we are believers, so when a person tells us a story, we tend to believe them. So if a person gives us some spill, a lot of Christians can tend towards swallowing their story hook, line, and sinker! 

So our point was that in this day & time and in our culture, we have need of wisdom to know when to give and who to give to. This applies to everything really, but especially in this area of the giving of alms.  

But the fact remains that there are still legitimate needs out there that the Lord wants His people to have a heart for. And we saw from the mouth of Jesus and in the Book of Proverbs that having this “eye”—this focus on the poor—holds a lot of tremendous blessings.  

Church, I hope you can see just how important it is that we remember the poor and focus on meeting the needs of those who are really going through difficult times. It is God’s heart! And the Lord wants us to have a heart like His – to meet the needs of His creation with our service, His power, and also with His and our finances. This will yield a life that is blessed, for He will recompense us for every good deed we do in love and by faith. Amen!  

DEFINING OFFERINGS

So this week, let’s take a look at what the Word of God has to say about another type of giving. This is one that I believe we are all familiar with because of how it is threaded throughout the Scriptures – I’m referring to “offerings.” 

Now when we think of the term “offerings,” we think financial. In fact, in a lot of our churches, we call that time of the service where we collect money, “offering time.” But there were all kinds of offerings that we see described in the Bible, and most of the times those offerings were animals such as bulls, sheep, etc. Other times, offerings were things like crops, fruit, etc. But like we learned with the tithe, one of the big reasons we see that Israel was told to tithe things like livestock and the fruit of the ground is because those things represented money to them back then. Therefore, it is understandable why we primarily give monetary gifts today instead of other things. 
   
However, when it comes to offerings, we don’t need to just see it as money or other tangible things that we give to the church, some ministry, or another physical place or person. We need to see “offerings” as us giving something that is precious & valuable to the Lord Himself. So yeah, even though we might be giving a tangible thing to a physical person, place, or thing, what is really supposed to be occurring is us giving a spiritual sacrifice to our Lord Himself. And I don’t think this is what most Christians do when we give in the “offering.”  

In fact, the word “offering” in Webster’s dictionary is defined like so – “a sacrifice ceremonially offered as an act of worship.” Now there are a lot of words in that one definition that are significant to us understanding what we need to know about offerings. 

A SACRIFICE CEREMONIALLY OFFERED

Notice the first word listed in our basic definition of an offering is that it’s a “sacrifice.”

Although this term used by Webster’s is likely specifically referring to the offerings prescribed under the Old Covenant such as the burnt animal sacrifices, I believe that those offerings given under the Old Testament were not only types and shadows of the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion, but they were also examples of what our financial offerings to the Lord should be like – sacrificial. 

You see, we might see a sacrifice offered back in the days of the Old Testament as the thing itself being offered. But what was of more importance to God was not the thing being killed & burnt, it was how much of a sacrifice was it to the person offering it, to give that offering. 

In fact, the Lord at one point told His people – the ones that He had commanded to offer these sacrifices in the first place – that it wasn’t about the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. In Isaiah 1:11 – “‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ Says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.’” 

So it wasn’t about the sacrifice; it was about the heart of the one offering the sacrifice. And that’s the lesson for you and I – Is it a sacrifice? Are we honoring the Lord with what we are “offering”? That’s what He was looking for then, and it’s what He’s still looking for now.  

But the fact is, God did indeed prescribe these sacrifices. In fact, they were to be “ceremonially” offered under the law. 

You see, God instituted in the Law many different kinds of offerings such as peace offerings, freewill offerings, drink offerings, etc. to be regularly given. And these can all be used as types and shadows of our financial offerings given under the New Covenant. 

One thing that we can learn about offerings from an Old Testament perspective is that there were a lot of them, and each of them had a specific purpose. For example, the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:3-17) was for the purpose of the general atonement of sin, and there were certain animals that could be used for this type of offering. There was even a specific way to burn these offerings (i.e. overnight). Then you have a peace offering (Leviticus chapter 3), and it was more of a festive offering. It likewise required specific types of animals. And the list could go on and on (i.e. the Grain Offering, the Sin Offering, the Trespass Offering, etc.) With each of these offerings, they were given very specific details on what was considered an acceptable type of offering for each of these, what their purpose was, and how these offerings were to be prepared. 

In all of these myriads of details, I learn one invaluable lesson: There are different kinds of financial offerings that we can give today, and each one can have its own specific purpose. For example, one type of financial offering in our day might be considered a “partnership offering”— that is, identifying a ministry that you believe in and making a pledge/commitment to giving regularly, a consistent amount into that ministry. Another could be a “seed offering”—which would be a one-time financial gift to a person or ministry for the specific purpose of planting a seed for a needed or desired harvest in your own life. Others might be a “missions offering” (i.e. giving into either a local or overseas mission), a “project offering” (i.e. giving into a special project like a building fund etc.). And this list likewise could go on and on.

One specific kind of offering that Shannon and I like to give is what one might call a “Resurrection Offering.” What this is, is that around Easter every year, when we are celebrating the most important day of our faith, we sow what is to us a very significant financial gift to honor the Lord for His victory over death, hell, and the grave and to show gratitude for what that means to us. 

Now like it is with these types of offerings that we can give today, there is not necessarily Scripture for each of them. However, with some of the offerings given under the Old Testament, there wasn’t always a “Thus saith the Lord” associated with them either. They just came out of the heart of the giver! 

And to me, saints, this is what it is all about: Our offerings need to come out of our heart! Yes, we need to purpose in our own heart how we can honor the Lord. And I can assure you, when you choose to offer Him something from the right heart, the Lord receives it as a sweet-smelling aroma. (Example of Noah’s sacrifice after the flood in Genesis 8:20)

But my point is that like it was under the Old Covenant, there are many different types of “offerings” we can give, and each can have its own specific purpose and intention. But let me say this – the most important purpose & intention is to honor the Lord. Sure, it’s fine to have a reason for giving an offering, but we shouldn’t get all wrapped up in the benefit of giving it and forget the One we are giving it to.  

Now I want you to notice that in Webster’s definition of an offering that it describes it as a sacrifice ceremonially “offered.” The word “offered” is really where our English word “offering” is derived from – It is something that is offered to the Lord. 

Now by the fact that it is offered, we can see that it can either be accepted or rejected. For example, if I “offered” you a ride, some advice, or anything like that, then you have the choice of accepting what I am offering or turning me down. Well, when you study offerings in the Scriptures, you find that God didn’t accept every offering. Some He received and others He rejected. (We will look at an example of this a little later). 

But my point is that there are things we “offer” to the Lord, but that doesn’t mean He receives or accepts them. The motivation of our hearts, the love that is behind them, and the sacrifice that they were to us, are all things that determine whether our offering is accepted by Him. And again, it’s Him we are giving to. 

I get tickled sometimes because there are people that have made sure I knew what they were giving and were in hopes that I would be impressed by it. In other words, they wanted me to accept & receive their offering. Well, that’s not exactly why we give offerings. No, we want God to be impressed, not a man or a woman, because He’s the One we are ultimately giving to. Amen?  

THE PERFECT OFFERING 

So let’s talk really quickly about what does a good, acceptable, and perfect offering that God accepts look like …  

In Ephesians 5:2 the apostle Paul says, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” 

Friends, is there a better example of a perfect offering than Jesus Christ? I think not! Yes, He is the ultimate example of what an offering should look like because He was the best and most perfect offering ever! Why? Because He was a sacrifice! God gave His only begotten Son! He did not give just one of His sons that He could spare! No, He gave His very best and that which cost Him something! 

But another reason Jesus was the perfect offering was because He was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. That means He was an offering that was well-pleasing and acceptable to God. And do you know why? It was because He was pure and had no blemish. He was totally void of spot & wrinkle! 

You see, one of the things the Lord had to correct Israel about was that when they brought these offerings to Him, that it wasn’t right for them to bring the blind, lame, spotted, etc. No, these were the leftovers. They were keeping the best because they were more valuable and, therefore, worth more. But Jesus was that Lamb of God without spot or wrinkle! Therefore, He was that most valuable sacrifice that could have been given. Amen!  

So, the thing we can learn from Jesus’ example is how our offerings can be offerings in which God is well-pleased: 

First of all, as a general rule, our offerings need to be our very best gifts—something that cost us something. King David said in First Chronicles 21:24 that he would not give to God something that cost Him nothing! This means that our offerings should be our very best gifts that are a sacrifice to us. 

Secondly, Jesus being a pure and undefiled sacrifice shows us how our offerings should be given with a good heart and void of impure motives. Our offerings should be totally clean and perfect. These kinds of offerings are the ones in which God is “well-pleased.”

Now do not misunderstand me, not all of our offerings need to be extreme sacrifices—such as, giving all that we have—but they shouldn’t be simply our pocket change either! Again, we just need to understand that when we give offerings to a ministry or our local church, we are giving unto the Lord! It is not man that we are giving to! Sure, we are giving into His works that consist of other people, but in actuality, we are giving to God. 

So, my point is that if we are giving to God, our gifts need to be honorable. In other words, they need to be a gift that is worthy of being presented to a King, something that costs us something. 

OFFERINGS = FAITH GIFTS

Now we need to understand that these honorable offerings are always accompanied by faith. We can see this exemplified in the offering of Abel as opposed to the offering of Cain. This is one of our best examples of offerings that God loves versus offerings that God rejects.   

We all know the story of how God respected Abel’s offering and did not respect Cain’s offering and much debate has been made as to why. Genesis 4:4 says that Abel gave the firstborn of his flock (i.e. the first and, therefore, the best) and of their fat (i.e. their richest parts), but Genesis 4:3 said that Cain “in the process of time” gave of the fruit of the ground. The phrase “in the process of time” literally meant “at the end of days.” So, I believe the problem with Cain’s sacrifice was that it was not a sacrifice at all. He came to sacrifice to God when it was convenient for him. I believe he offered to God what he had left over and what he could spare, unlike Abel who gave the first and the best. You could put it this way: Abel gave sacrificially and honorably, while Cain gave conveniently and dishonorably. This was the big difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering.  

But did you know that the New Testament teaches us specifically what made Abel’s offering a more excellent sacrifice? Sure, Genesis shows us what they did and didn’t do, but Hebrews 11:4 teaches us why they did the things they did. It says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain …” So, how did Abel offer a more excellent sacrifice than Cain? It was “by faith!” Plain & simple.  

Saints, if you really want God to be well-pleased with your offerings, then they need to be given in faith- for faith is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6) And it does not require a whole lot of faith for most people to pull a one dollar bill out of their wallet and plunk it in the offering.

So am I saying that it is wrong to just give a buck? Of course not! First of all, giving just a dollar might require a lot of faith for some people in tougher financial situations, but what I am saying is that in order for your gifts to be “more excellent,” they need to require faith on your part to give them. 

You see, God does not focus on amounts; He focuses on percentages! Do you remember the story in Luke chapter 21 of the poor widow who gave two mites? Jesus said that she gave more than all the rest of the people giving their offerings. Why? Because He said that all the rest gave out of their abundance—that is, they gave what they could spare—but she gave all her livelihood! This poor widow did not give more than everyone else from an amount standpoint; She gave more than everyone from a percentage standpoint.  

Saints, when Jesus looks at our offerings, He is looking from a percentage standpoint. Am I giving what I know I can spare or am I giving in faith? This is the question we should ask ourselves. And this is where Cain made his mistake. His offering was evidently not honoring God and required no faith on his part. Therefore, God did not accept it and we all know well what the end result of that story was. 

Friends, let’s always make it a point that when we are giving an offering of some sort, to first understand that the Lord is ultimately who we are giving it to! Therefore, let’s make it a point to honor Him with that gift and give in faith! For with offerings like this, the Lord is well-pleased! Amen! 

WORSHIP THE LORD WITH YOUR GIVING

Now in the rest of Webster’s definition, he defines an offering as “a sacrifice ceremonially offered as an act of worship.” This shows us how, when our offerings are given, they should always be offered as an act of worship. 

How many times have we prepared an offering for the Lord and then, when offering time comes, we just plunk it in the collection box or offering plate without any thought? Sadly, we would have to say it has been more often than not. But, saints, what we need to understand is that when we give our offerings to the Lord it is to be a part of worship. In other words, our giving should be accompanied by a heart that is prostrate and in love with the Lord, and not just something we are giving like we pay a bill.  

How do we do this? Well, it’s obviously giving cheerfully and with a heart of gratitude! I cannot reiterate to you how important this is to God. He does not need our offerings! He just wants all of you! So when you give Him your offerings that come from a grateful heart, He is well pleased. But when you just give an offering because you feel compelled to or simply out of habit without your heart being in it, then God is not impressed at all. So the best way to worship the Lord in our giving is to engage the Lord when we are giving it, which can be when we prepare it or when we release it.  

First Corinthians 13:3 tells us that we can give all our goods to the poor and give our body to be burned, but if we are not motivated by love then it profits us nothing. My question was how can you give like this apart from love? And the answer is that you can just do these things out of duty or even greed. You might just feel obligated to give your money to the poor because you have somebody watching or you might just be willing to give of yourself because of the reward you will receive. These are wrong motivations! 

God wants us, as New Testament believers and full of His Spirit, to give out of our love for Him and His works, not because we will get something in return. No, He wants us to give, not because it will benefit us in any way, but just simply because we want to worship and honor Him through our giving! This is our high calling as born-again children of God—to worship the Lord with our offerings!   

REAPING WHAT WE SOW & REAPING HOW WE SOW

Now in conclusion, I want to share with you some of the benefits of this kind of sacrificial and worshipful giving: 

Do you remember the story of God asking Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to Him? Many do not understand the results of Abraham’s obedience in that situation. God was in covenant with Abraham. So, therefore, God needed a man to be willing to give his only begotten son (his very best) so that the law of sowing and reaping would be fulfilled by God giving His only begotten Son. God was legally obligated to bless man’s obedience according to the law of sowing and reaping. Amen! 

So what is my point, you ask? My point is that when we, as covenant people of God, give God our very best then that same law of sowing and reaping will take effect in our lives. In other words, when we give sacrificial offerings and offerings that are full of love then we will reap, and they will produce after their own kind!  Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” Whatever manner in which we give to God is the manner in which God will give back to us! So the blessing in giving loving and sacrificial offerings unto God is that God will give back to us loving and sacrificial offerings. 

And how many of you know that if God gives like this then it is going to be some extremely lavish giving!?! I’m talking about some ship sinking, net breaking, and cup overflowing kind of blessings! It has been well said that you cannot out-give God and that is so true. So even if this message makes you feel uncomfortable because it stretches you, get out of the boat! Start living in the faith zone and watch God pour out so many blessings on you that you do not have room enough to contain them! Amen!