We all want to be accepted. Have you thought about your and offerings & service to God.  The book of Leviticus tells us of that our sacrificial offerings/service and that they are to be a burnt sacrifice at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD and it shall be accepted to make atonement for our sins. Now that was under the Law of Moses, that was given to him by God.  We are no longer under the Law; we use it for a guide to moral living.  This being said, we still give offerings but not in this form or manner as they did in Moses’s time period. God knows how hard it is to keep the Law. How many broke a law coming today Church?

When we give a sacrificial offering/service to our God it does not have to come with pre-conditions on it! Some may say “Lord I will follow and obey if you do this for me.”….. That is just totally unacceptable and the wrong attitude when we come before our Lord and Savior.  We should come humbly before the Lord and ask. But before this we must acknowledge who God is, confess and repent, then come humbly before the Lord and ask.  What wilt thou have me to do Lord?  God is our Creator and has given us the breath of life. Sovereignty of God is on display here.

When God’s people are obedient and give our sacrificial offerings/service to our God it becomes that sweet savour unto the Lord.

First, God is our Creator and has given us breath of life, and our sacrificial offerings/service are a symbol of our love for our God for taking care of our needs. Second, it is not given without a sacrifice to the giver.  Third, we must give our best to our God for he has given his best for us. We want our offerings to be accepted to make atonement for our sins.

If it is done out of our love for our God, with a sacrifice, and it’s our best, it will be accepted and make atonement for us and it will be that sweet savour unto the Lord. 

Noah, when he came out of the Ark, he built an altar and gave burnt offerings to the Lord.  A sign and symbol of his obedience and his thanks to God for saving him and his family. Thanks be to God for saving my family. Thanks be to God for saving me. Thanks be to God for the Ark of safety.

Genesis   8:21      God replay to Noah

And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

And the Lord smelled a sweet savour- this moved the Lord in such a way that the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake.

Sovereignty of God -making a way for man to return to himself by giving us repentance of our sin. Sending his only son to die on a cross for our sins. God gave us Grace we did not deserve. And it is limited grace while here. While he waits for our decision to become obedient to Him.

Our sacrificial offerings to God should be a willing offering. After all we are giving it in recognition to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all that he has done for us. We shall offer it of our own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.      As an example to others.

If it is done willingly it is that sweet savour unto the Lord.

***God is not just talking about tithes & money here.***

David

Psalm 119:108        (Psalm are songs, prayers and poems)

Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.

When our offering is of our own freewill it is that sweet savour unto the Lord.

When our offering is accepted it is that sweet savour unto the Lord.

Well pleasing to our God.

With the mouth we make confession, we pray, we speak, we sing, and we can teach for the Lord our God. David calls his prayers freewill offerings. This is building the relationship with God and he is well pleased with us.

***Our sacrificial offerings include giving of our gifts, time, talents, monies, materials, and labor. We can clearly see that we can give something, salt, flour, oil, leaven, young pigeons, turtledoves, goat, sheep, and cattle. All these were acceptable offerings. No matter the size or what we offer we must give something back to our God for all he has given to us. After all He has given us the breathe of life, and life everlasting!***

Paul says of the gifts the Philippian church have sent to support his ministry:

“They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

Philippians 4:18

 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

Those gifts sent from you, are an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

Who will you serve?  God or Satan?

The prophet Ezekiel cried out to Israel because they were polluting themselves with all your idol worship. God told Ezekiel to tell the house of Israel to serve God, “I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.” Ezekiel 20:40

Once we start our sacrificial offerings/service, they should to become an oblation to us, something we must do, and we will continue to do to honor our Lord and God.  Our sacrificial offerings should be from our first fruits not the leftovers we should always give our best and the first of all we have. Cain did not understand this.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

For God loveth a cheerful giver. – our aim in giving is to please Our God. Amen!

If we are not following the above

Malachi 3:8

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

We can rob God when we don’t offer anything to God. Some gave out of abundance and were proud of what they gave, that’s the wrong attitude to have.

Yes, Malachi says.

God wants us to be humble. Gave humbly of all we have. We should offer something even if it is small.

We definitely don’t want to rob our Lord God and Master because this would bring upon destruction in the forms of rebuke, correction, and chastisement.

This would not be a sweet savour unto the Lord.

Remember, First, God is our Creator and has given us life. Our sacrificial offerings/ service is a symbol of our love for our God for taking care of our needs. Second, it is not given without a sacrifice to the giver.  Third, we must give our best to our God for he has given his best for us. We want our offerings to be accepted to make atonement for our sins.

John 3:16                   (God’s provided way out!)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God was willing to give his only son to die on a cruel cross to save us from our sins of death.  Are you willing to be obedient to Him and his will to offer willing sacrificial offerings/service to Him?