sermonette: An Acceptable Offering (Part One)

Offeratory
John W. Ritenbaugh
Given 06-Apr-04; Sermon #659As; 16 minutes

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We're going to begin in the book of Mark. Chapter 12. Mark 12 verses 41 through 44. 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. Then there came a certain widow, and she threw in two mites which make a farthing. Then he called unto him, his disciples, and said unto them, verily I say unto you that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury, for all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all of her living. Now this offering was remarkable or such a remarkable incident that it motivated Jesus to make a judgment concerning it, and God has preserved it for all eternity as an outstanding example of an acceptable offering. Now this reaction by God stands in stark contrast to Cain's offering given in Genesis the 4th chapter. Now why do we worship God? Why do we make offerings to God, and I do not mean to necessarily limit that to monetary offerings given on holy days. Now there is a straight line connection between making offerings and worshiping God. Worship involves submission. Submission to God combined with adoration. Now we make offerings to God in order to be acceptable to Him. Acceptable means adequate. To meet a need, requirement, or standard. It also means satisfactory. Now, is there anybody here that desires to be unsatisfactory, inadequate, unfit, and not meeting the requirements to serve the great God? This is why we make offerings to God to be acceptable, satisfactory to Him. So not on your life. Now how can we be acceptable to Him in our offerings? Now, obviously it was not by how much this woman gave that made her acceptable, but she was very acceptable. To him. I'm going to tell you, but with a warning, and the warning is given because it's not easy. And it's not easy because Our human nature will resist it very strongly, and the reason is because we want to have control of our life. Now there is a general principle shown in Scripture that God accepts sacrifice. Uh, if he accepts it, it is consumed. Now, it's helpful to remember. That when the offerings were placed on the altar under the Old Covenant, that the fire consumed them. They'll just think of that picture. Because this pictured God consuming what was placed before Him and thus the offering was accepted. It was acceptable to him. Now it's very interesting that there are a number of places where fires shot out from some some place and consume the offering at the I would call it auspicious occasions. You can write these down if you want to because I'm going to give you a list of them for later study. Leviticus 9:23 and 24, God's fire consumed the offering on the altar as the priests began serving at the new tabernacle. In I Kings 18:38, God sent fire from heaven to consume Elijah's offering. It was acceptable. The priests of Wales was not. In I Chronicles 21 and 26, he consumed the offering on David's altar built when David purchased Ornan's threshing floor, thus showing that he approved of this as the site for the temple. In II Chronicles 7:1, God again sent fire from heaven and consumed the offering on the altar at the dedication of the temple that Solomon built. Now Paul makes an interesting statement in Hebrews 12 and verse 29, where he says, our God is a consuming fire. But Moses beat him to it. And Paul actually copied what Moses had written earlier in Deuteronomy 4 in verse 24. Moses used that same phrase in reference to God's jealousy. For the obedience of his people. You're beginning to see there is heat involved. Whether it's a fire in an altar or whether it's within. A person has something to do with acceptance by God. Now we are going to turn to John. And it'll be in John the 2nd chapter. And verse 17, John 2 and in verse 17. Now this occurred. When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers. He actually did that twice. And this is the first time that he did it. It's right near the beginning of his ministry. And we will read verse 16182 and said unto them that soul doves, take these things out of here and make not my father's house a house of merchandise. I do not think that came out of his mouth quite like it came out of my mouth. I think he was red faced. And that there was righteous indignation written all over him, and he said it with vehements because the disciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of your house has eaten us up. eating me up, pardon me. Now that was written in Psalm 69 and verse 9. Which is prophesying of the very thing that these men were looking at a demonstration of Jesus vehemence. Now It says eaten has eaten me up. Now there are some Bibles that translate that devour. Which Strong says is appropriate or consume. The zeal for your house has consumed me. And it appears that way in one translation anyway that I saw the Berkeley version in modern English. But it gives the sense that is the Greek word, of something either eaten and swallowed or burned up as in a fire. So in either case, consumed is a fit word. Now, consume in English has some very interesting usages. It's used in the sense, like in the Greek for eating and drinking, but it also means to reduce to nothing as something burning down. It was consumed in the fire to reduce to nothing. And another one very interesting, it means entirely taken up, entirely taken up in the sense of being consumed with rage or anger or zeal. Or joy The attitude doesn't matter. The person is entirely taken up with it. And then finally there is another use for it it means. Uh, to use up as with energy. Now the reason I went into that with a little bit of detail is because it gives us some insight into the way that Jesus Christ lived his life. Thus setting us an example in that as well. Jesus was anything but meek and mild. Meek he was, but mild he was not. Those two are not synonymous. Jesus was fervent to the point that his disciples thought he would burn Himself out. He went charging around all over the place. He had a job to do. I do not know whether he knew the exact time, but he only had 3.5 years to do it, and he knew that God was going to call for his life at any time. So for Jesus, the honor and glory of the Father were at stake all the time, and he did not sleepwalk and tiptoe through his responsibilities in God's behalf. And there was never anybody who was more acceptable to God than him. Now there is insight When we think of this in contrast to the lukewarm lay of the seeing. Who says I'm rich, increased with goods. And have need of nothing. Well, they needed some zeal. But what's so interesting here is God's reaction. To these lukewarm people. He vomits them out. That shows me that lukewarm people are not acceptable to God. He wants people whose heart is in it. In what they are doing Because they are representing him. And he wants to see people with energy. Following through on their responsibilities. Now there is something else that's kind of interesting here too, and it's attached to this, and that is That the apostle Paul especially shows that God will use us until we are used up. See, there is that consumed until we are consumed. Because that's what Happened to him Isn't that men, women? Isn't that what we do with our tools? We use them until we can't use them anymore. They're used up. And we are tools of God that he is using to give evidence that he is working in our life. Let's go back to Ephesians. In chapter 5 and verses 1 and 2. Be you therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us as equal to. As he has loved us and has given us for himself. An offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Now would Jesus Christ have been an acceptable sacrifice if he had lived? The kind of life that Cain did. I do not think so. Didn't God say to Cain, there in Genesis 4 and verse 7, If you do well, shall you not be accepted? Now one of the things I get out of this is that obedience is certainly a prime concern. But also how we obey God. is also very important. The widow gave But how she gave. was made her offering remarkable. Key's offering was rejected. Because of his foul attitude toward God. And his brother. That that would not permit him to live by faith, and his murder of Abel confirmed that he was not consumed with zeal for God. Now all of us have lived like Cain. And that's why we are only accepted through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But now that we have accepted that sacrifice, we are called upon to change the way we live. Now Romans 12 verse 1 and 2. Sums up What God expects of us, we are to be consumed as a living sacrifice. Following the our recognition of Christ's blood and our need of it and recognition of his great purpose that he's working out. Now as you make your offering, Just give a little bit of thought. As to whether you are giving. An offering that is acceptable. Wholehearted in attitude. Now are you pleased as punch? To be able to give it Where is it done? Just grudgingly or matter of factly. This is just because we have to. Though the widow woman's offering paltry though it was in terms of amount, it was huge in terms of what she had to draw upon in order to give what she gave, and that small amount revealed that she was consumed with the importance of what she was doing. She gave everything she had. In terms of money. She was convinced and convicted. And so this is why Paul says that God loves a cheerful, generous giver that shows that their heart is really in what they do. This is acceptable to God.