SERMON
BY BRO. SETH A. ARYEE
LOCAL PREACHER, BETHANY METHODIST CHURCH, DZORWULU, ACCRA-GHANA
THEME: THANKSGIVING – “FOR ALL THY GIFTS, WE BLESS THEE, LORD”
MALACHI 1: 6-14
2 CORINTHIANS 9: 5-11
TEXT: “AND IF YE OFFER THE BLIND FOR SACRIFICE, IS IT NOT EVIL? [MALACHI 1:8]
Today is a day for THANKSGIVING and THANKFULNESS unto the Lord for all His mercies showered on us throughout the year. Although, we need to be thankful moment by moment for God’s gracious offer of His only begotten Son to deliver us from our manifold sins, today is reserved specially for the Church and us as individuals to express our appreciation to the Good Lord during this Annual Harvest and Thanksgiving Service
Too often we take God’s blessings for granted until they are taken from us. Then we recognise how important even the most common gifts of God really are
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2). Because God’s goodness is as constant as the sun, we are in danger of forgetting what He showers on us each day. If we count our blessings one by one, we will never get finished. As you sit in Church this morning, I wish you could list ten gifts God has given you throughout the year and something will happen to your hearts. So the hymn writer articulates the goodness of the Lord as: "For all Thy gifts, we bless Thee Lord. But chiefly for our heavenly food. Thy pardoning grace, Thy quickening word. These prompt our son, that God is good" (Methodist Hymn Book No. 968)
Yes, God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. These should prompt us always to give thanks to the Lord. If we pause to think about the abundance that God has showered on us, we all discover many reasons to express our gratitude to Him
But to give thanks for every situation is sometimes very difficult. When our bodies are wracked by pain, or we have just learned that we have a physical problem for which there is no cure, or we have lost our job, or a cherished relationship has been broken, we don’t feel grateful. But we can learn to thank God because He gives us strength when we feel weak. As believers, we can be grateful that through such experiences God is accomplishing what is best for us
One way of expressing thankfulness to God is the reason why we are gathered here this morning - to offer the first fruits of our lives. The Word of God clearly teaches us that if we do not respond to God’s gracious gifts by acknowledging the heavenly Benefactor, our ungratefulness will only ensure our final doom and misery (Romans 2:4-10)
No doubt, some of us keep struggling all by ourselves to make it in life without success. Today, I want to challenge you to test the Lord and see whether He will not open the windows of heaven and pour such blessings upon you" (Malachi 3:10)
God in His goodness keeps on blessing us with abundance far beyond what we need or deserve. In addition to our material blessings, we as Christians receive so many spiritual blessings. How can we best express our gratitude as we think about all God has given to us? First, by maintaining a thankful spirit in everything we do. Then by giving liberally and cheerfully of our time, treasure, and talent - "WHEN I REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE, I WILL NEVER FORGET ANY MORE"
Let us look at Hebrews 11:4: "By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain". God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because he offered a more excellent sacrifice. On the other hand, God did not accept the sacrifice of Cain. The difference between the sacrifices of Abel and Cain was FAITH. Thus, if we also want our sacrifice to be accepted by God we must necessarily recognise the element of faith
Our sacrifices should not be the routine type. Since we have been making our offering to God as a routine, we are not concerned of the value and magnitude of the offer. In fact, very little faith is exercised in our routine sacrifices
If our sacrifice should continue to be a memorial before God, there must be faith accompanying our offering. Let us examine Genesis 4:1-7 to determine how both Cain and Abel offered their individual sacrifices to the Lord. The Bible tells us that Cain was a farmer, tilling the land whilst Abel was a shepherd, tending the sheep. Both professions were noble in the eyes of the Lord. We are further told that when the two sacrificed to the Lord, Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord and Abel brought the first born of his flock and of their fat
Between the two offerings, God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected that of Cain. The Bible does not tell us whether this was the first sacrifice of the brothers. However, I am inclined to believe that their father, Adam, had taught his children the need and the method to offer sacrifices to the Lord. I am also convinced that the children had seen their father on numerous occasions making sacrifices to God. So they must be aware of how to offer the sacrifice
But this particular sacrifice is recorded in the Bible principally because it led to the death of Abel. The problem was not really what they gave; because each gave according to the work of his hands. God’s concern was the quality of their different sacrifices: Cain offered "the fruit of the ground to the Lord" and Abel also brought of "the first born of his flock and of their fat" (Genesis 4:3,4)
On the part of Abel, he went through all the flock and selected all the first born which were the best and of their fat, which symbolised richness
The Word of God assures us that "faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Thus, Abel might have heard something upon which he acted. Later, in Leviticus, God gave Moses specific instructions of how to make an offering - the first born of everything, both man and animal. God always requested the first and the best
God is saying something like this: "Give Me the first before you take care of yourself". Remember the story of Elijah and widow of Zarephath. Elijah requested of the woman: "Please bring me a little water … a morsel of bread in your hand … make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me and afterward make some for yourself and your son" (1 Kings 17:10,1113)
When the woman obeyed Elijah, "the bin of flour was not used up nor did the jar of oil run dry according to the Word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah" (1 Kings 17:16)
Most of the time, when we give to God, we act as if we are doing God a favour - "I am helping God", we might be acting our word. In fact, God does not need your money; He has no need of Himself. Before there was any human being, God was God. Whether you give an offering or not, God is God. Your giving or not giving does not change God
God only needs something from you as a medium or reference to bless you and your substance - that, to do for you what He has promised to do for you - to place you in a new promising job, to make your marriage happy, to improve upon your finances, to heal you of your diseases, to give you good health, to bless your children
Adam might have told his children to give the best to the Lord. Why did God not respect Cain’s sacrifice? In the first place, Cain acted on his feelings and not by faith. He might have said something like this to the Lord: "God, you know my situation now. I need to buy some few clothing for my wardrobe; my shoes are worn; I have to pay my children school fees; the landlord is chasing for a three-year rent advance. It is, therefore, not possible for me to offer any thing meaningful. Just forget about this time; next time will do - I will offer the best"
The second reason for the attitude of Cain is recorded in 1 John 3:11,12: "- - -not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous". God considered Cain sacrifice evil; his intention was malicious and wicked. In order words, Cain knew that what he was offering to God was not right
The third reason is recorded in Jude 10,11: "But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah"
This passage is describing some people. I hope they are not in Church today. The Bible also calls such people "dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries" Jude 8. What Cain knew he corrupted; what he did not know, he spoke evil about it. Cain had a rebellious attitude - he fought the Word of God, as some of us do, by deciding to do it in his own way
What Cain brought to the Lord was probably good but not his first, not his best. As a result of this attitude, God did not respect his sacrifice. The acceptance of your sacrifice is directly related to on how God sees you
Any time we sacrifice to the Lord, we also bring ourselves to the Lord. When we make an offering, God does not see the money offered; He sees us. "For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches" (Romans 11:16). If you present and dedicate the first fruit to God, then the whole of your fruits is blessed. The rest of the fruit becomes God’s property and He takes up the responsibility to protect the rest
When the lion comes after your cattle, God must protect them: "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field" (Malachi 3:11)
Your job is to give the first and best fruit to the Lord and the rest shall be holy. During harvest time, the farmer reserves the best of his harvest for planting during the next season. He reckons that the first fruits are the best and in order to get a good harvest the following year, he needs to keep the best. In the process, he continuously gets good harvest year after year. In the same vein, when we always offer our best to the Lord, we continue to be blessed by God
It is difficult for people to bring their first and best to the Lord these days. The farmer is able to determine what are his first and best fruits. But as a salaried worker, what is considered your first and best salary? You are paid at the end of each month in bulk. Which part of your salary is the first and best? In fact, it is your duty to determine what is the first and best as an offering to the Lord
The Old Testament recommends a tenth of everything as a sacrifice to the Lord: "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house; and try Me now in this if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10)
You have to determine in your heart what is the best. It is that part of your income that yo0u willingly offer to the Lord. There is a multiplier effect on what you offer. If you give a larger part of your salary, the blessings also become big. Lotto operates on the same principle, the higher you stake on the winning numbers, the bigger your win. But I am not suggesting that you go and stake lotto
Christ will not regulate us. He wants us to willingly come to Him "to give thanks with a grateful heart; give thanks to the Holy One" and say "this is my best" and He will have respect for you and your offering
Your offering is a constant reminder of God on His promises towards you and your life and acts in accordance to His Word
Let’s read Malachi 1:6-8. God does not want the blind chicken to be offered to him. Don’t wait till you find that your chicken is suffering from "cockodiosis" before you bring it to the Lord as an offering. It is better not to offer anything to the Lord than to bring to Him a lame goat. God gives us the best and He, in turn, requires the best from us so that He can use it to bless us abundantly
"Give it to your governor". Would he accept you favourably? If the President of Ghana came to your home after payday, would you give to him what you have intended in your heart to give to the Lord today? Those not on salary will go and borrow, iron the money, put in a nice envelope, spray it with sweet -smelling perfume and give it to the President. For the time being, you are not bothered on the interest you might be paying to the moneylender. Your main concern is to please the President
But when it comes to God, you are not prepared to go that length because you think God will accept anything. You keep the crumbled cedi note, which you collected as change from the fishmonger for Sunday as an offering to the Lord. How do you expect God to bless you? Give according to God’s Word and stand on it and say to the Lord to honour His Word
You complain that things are hard these days. When you go to market, sales are not good. The salary is just able to pay your rent and bills; there is not enough even for basic food. How much more to bring an offering to the Lord. Such attitude will perpetually place us in a cycle of poverty
Finally, there was this story of the pig and the hen. They both provide something as food for the table; the pig provides bacon and the hen provides eggs. The hen thought too much was expected from her by daily providing the eggs for the farmer’s table and, therefore, sought the co-operation of the pig to put an end to the exploitation. In fact, the pig was surprised for the fact that the hen only "contributes" eggs but on the other hand, the pig is "sacrificed", that is, killed before the bacon is made for the table
In like manner, some us are really contributing to the offertory and not sacrificing. Sacrifice involves giving up your life. Your hair and finger -nails are cut without any pain or feeling. A lot of us do well, but it does not cost us anything and this is not sacrifice. Giving must be sacrificial.
There is this story of a prophet who visited a house where a chicken was prepared for him. God spoke to him that the chicken had one eye. Both one-eyed and two-eyed taste the same. But it is the wrong attitude. God is not looking at the money that you give, but what is in your heart - your attitude
Today, I want us to break this poverty syndrome by trusting God to take care of our "needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)
If you honour God with your first and best, He will take the rest and protect the rest and these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you:
THE LORD SHALL SET YOU HIGH ABOVE ALL
BLESSED SHALL YOU BE WHEN YOU COME IN, AND BLESSED SHALL YOU WHEN YOU GO OUT
THE LORD WILL CAUSE YOUR ENEMIES WHO RISE AGAINST YOU TO BE DEFEATED BEFORE YOUR FACE
THEY SHALL COME OUT AGAINST YOU ONE WAY AND FLEE BEFORE YOU SEVEN WAYS
AND THE LORD WILL GRANT YOU PLENTY OF GOODS, IN THE FRUIT OF YOUR BODY, IN THE PRODUCE OF YOUR GROUND
THE LORD WILL OPEN TO YOU HIS GOOD TREASURE, THE HEAVENS, TO GIVE THE RAIN TO YOUR LAND IN ITS SEASON, AND TO BLESS ALL THE WORK OF YOUR HAND
YOU SHALL LEND TO OTHERS, BUT YOU SHALL NOT BORROW
AND THE LORD WILL MAKE YOU THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL; YOU SHALL BE ABOVE ONLY, AND NOT BE BENEATH
These are the rich promises of God to you only if you obey His commands by offering the first and best fruit. If you are to overcome financial crisis, it has to begin today
Tell the one next to you: I THINK THE PREACHER IS TALKING TO YOU - REBUKE THE CAIN SPIRIT
Tell the Lord:
I AM GOING TO DO ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD SO THAT YOU WILL BLESS ME
I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU BY HOLDING FROM YOU WHAT IS YOURS
FORGIVE ME, LORD. WASH AND CLEANSE ME IN THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
GIVE ME AN OBEDIENT AND WILLING HEART
AND LET ME GIVE TO YOU WHAT BELONGS TO YOU
AND LET YOUR WORD BECOME TRUE IN MY LIFE
I want you to make a decision to be faithful to the Lord. Change your mind, change your attitude; let it become a lifestyle of faithfulness and thankfulness to the Lord
