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PORTRAITS OF FAITH: GIVING YOUR BEST TO GOD
November 12, 2006 Jay Robison Gen 4:1-5 and Heb 11:4
What does being faithful to God look like? Need to ask regularly
This week in Bible study read quote
The reason many of us aren’t growing spiritually
is because our faith doesn’t reach beyond our sight
Real faith begins when our senses end. When we see something,
we usually don’t feel the need to trust God for it. And since we
can’t see very far, living by sight keeps us living small.
Faith says God I know that whenever you speak you’re telling truth,
I can stake my life on it. Faith proves what we believe about God.
Many of us act like have more confidence in selves than do in him.
Jesus died to save the world we don’t have to,
Jesus is Lord over church we no have to bail it out
We just serve him, place ourselves at his command
If our faith is lacking we are not acting on the power and promises
of God we won’t see supernatural work in our lives,
we’ll live in the natural with all its limitations
So what does faithfulness look like? Heb 11 portraits of faith
3 over next few weeks Then periodically come back to see
Heb 11:1 KJV Faith is the substance of things hoped for
The evidence of things not yet seen
Substance dimensions weight, evidence proven
WHO God chose for His 1st examples of faith. Who did He use?
Abel no disrespect but as you read thru OT, he is not
type of guy that would ordinarily catch your attention.
In Genesis these Abel only in a grand total of less than 10 verses.
WHY would God do that? Because most of us see selves as ordinary
people, nowhere near as impressive as Noah\Abraham\ Moses.
Abel was son of Adam and Eve brother of Cain story in Gen 4
Brothers brought an offering to God
As we consider giving our best to God includes $$ but not just that
Also your time, talents, are you giving best as teacher, servant?
1. Giving IS A PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Have you ever considered how much you have been given in life?
This thanksgiving important for us to remember how received
Your first clothes were given to you by someone else
You were fed as a baby, protected as a child
Schools you attended there because someone else gave
Our nation protected by soldiers, owe debt to Veterans
This church here because people before us gave
We have been given a lot
Remember, God has GIVEN US EVERYTHING
Your arm is not your arm God gave it to you
You job not your job, can be taken away in an instant God gave
Very breath in our lungs was given to us by God
You did nothing to create the food you ate last night
This beautiful planet was given to us by God
we have to take care of it Abel and Cain gave to God
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. Genesis 4:3-4 NLT
Cain became a farmer, Abel was a shepherd each man brought
an offering to God voluntarily to God recognized had been given
Remember this God doesn’t NEED WHAT WE HAVE TO GIVE
You and I NEED TO OFFER WHAT WE HAVE
God is not poor, we are not bailing God out of the hole
Giving $$ time\talents to God does God no favor but pleases God
But it does a lot for you to follow God’s call to give
Take pride in serving, in faithful $$ giving
2. Your giving GIVES YOU AWAY
One of the lessons we learn from this story is
Our giving gives us away, if we are generous
That comes from our heart, if we are selfish
That also gives us a peak into our heart
In our world generosity is rare Years ago on Candid Camera,
children were placed 1 at a time in a room w\a plate of cookies.
On plate were at least 2 cookies, one of the cookies was very large.
Adult left the room & kids were told could take a cookie.
You know, all took big one. One boy was asked why he took big
Host Alan Funt told boy, “All you left me to eat was little cookie.
I would have eaten the little cookie & given you the biggest one.” W\out a blink boy responded, “Then you got the one you wanted.”
Look at story of the 2 givers in our story
Cain= OF GOD Abel= WEAKLING OR VANITY
Biblical names carry with them idea of significance
You have of God and weakling, vain, shadow useless
Still in an amazing twist, Cain’s offering not accepted
Why wasn’t Cain’s offering accepted?
Was there something inherently wrong with Cain’s sacrifice? Nah.
Commentators have offered several explanations
MAYBE HE WAS CHEATING GOD
Like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts trying for more credit than gave
PERHAPS HE GAVE SECOND-RATE FRUIT
1st fruits of the offering from Abel not said so with Cain,
Abel brought his best, Cain simply brought something.
HE DID NOT GIVE A “BLOOD OFFERING”
That God desires a blood offering to find forgiveness
Lev 2:1 produce offering was basis for sacrificial system
Remember God could have accepted both offerings Or could have
rejected both offerings. Fact of matter is, He didn’t do either.
Why? Why did God accept Abel’s and reject Cain’s?
Bible doesn’t say for sure, but I see some clues
Cain’s offering was tainted by HIS ATTITUDE
Maybe he gave his offering disgusted by having to give an offering
Heb 11:4 Message It was what he believed, not what he brought,
that made the difference.
That’s what God noticed & approved as righteous.
Genesis 4:5 offering not accepted made Cain so angry
That he could not hide his feelings
1 Jn 3:11-12. We should love one another; not as Cain, who was of
the evil one & slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay
him? Because his deeds were evil, his brother’s were righteous.
Abel’s offering was made in faith. Outward gift revealed heart
You see, the problem was not in what Cain was offering,
the problem was in Cain himself.
3. Our giving bears witness BEYOND OURSELVES
That’s way it works, When give an offering to God goes beyond us
You will touch the world if you gave offering today
Thousands of missionaries will be supported today
People you will never meet will be touched by offering
Years ago in No. Ill people reached out to unchurched family
Involved them in SS worship kids stuff, I was there
Those people who gave to me now are giving to you
They helped me to become who I am to share with you
They never met you probably never will giving beyond self
Abel is included in the Faith chapter for one reason—generosity.
Cain wanted to thank God for a successful year of farming.
Abel brought best as people would later do w\kings, expressing
total dependence on God. Abel offered self to be a servant of God
Listen to what writer of Hebrews concludes Even though Abel is
now dead, his faith still speaks for him Heb 11:4 CEV
By faith he is still speaking, speaks in every generation not simply
as an immortal memory but it stimulates faith in others to give
Abel is an example for us to follow
Death is never the last word for the righteous person,
when they leave this world, they leave something in it.
What Bible is talking about here is influence,
Because Abel was faithful in his offering
He serves as an example to us to give our best to God
Bible promises givers
My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches
in Christ Jesus Phil 4:19 NIV
Matt 6 consider the lilies of the field, the birds of the air,
God cares for them will care for us we can trust God
Faith includes GROWING IN OUR GIVING
“Faith”, is continuing to grow, based upon your use of it.
If you want to lose weight, go to gym & say, “I’m going to change
this body of fat, into a body that looks like Mr. Universe, not
going to happen in 15 minutes, you have to work on it,
& work on it, day after day, & night after night, year after year.
God has given everyone a measure of faith, to be developed.
If you can’t believe God to heal your headache,
why would you believe God to heal cancer.
If you can’t believe God to solve a $100.00 problem,
why would you ask God to solve a $1,000.00 problem.
If you don’t have faith for the smaller things, you can’t have faith
for the bigger things, you have to start believing somewhere,
and exercise your faith.
We cannot give God THE BARE MINIMUM
And expect God to BLESS US WITH THE MAXIMUM
Gen 4 God had regard for Abel’s offering but no regard for Cain’s
It is a careful examination type of looking, not just a glance.
God didn’t reject Cain’s offering because He didn’t like the way it
looked. God was looking at hearts, not gifts.
Cain after offering not accepted by God
Such jealousy went out and killed Abel
It is interesting to know that God still speaks through the grim story
of a slaughtered brother at beginning of the Bible.
Abel did right before God and was killed for it
As exciting as Living a Life of Faith can be not like chanting some
magical incantation. Faith is not some magical pill that you take
and Presto Chango life becomes painless and trouble-free.
no problems, no difficulties, no struggles. Bible no teach that.
What are you offering to God today?
God wants your everything
It reminds me so much of the Christianity that we see practiced today. In our world today, most people think that Christianity is practiced on Sunday morning from 10:00 to noon. A person goes to church every Sunday, hoping that this sacrifice will appease God. Then, from noon of Sunday till 10:00 the next Sunday, they live their lives the way they want. With no regards to a holy and just God, we practice all kinds of selfishness. We are filled with ego and pride. We live from day to day filling our lives with things that offend our Lord. We give no regard to our neighbors, to the hurting, to the needy. We have very little time for devotions, prayer, or Bible study. About the only time that we remember God is when we want something else from Him. Faith not dependent on Sundays but rest of the week
Do we give God the best that we have or only the leftovers?
PORTRAITS OF FAITH: GIVING YOUR BEST TO GOD
November 12, 2006 Jay Robison Gen 4:1-5 and Heb 11:4
The reason many of us aren’t growing spiritually
is because our faith doesn’t reach beyond our sight
1. Giving
God has
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. Genesis 4:3-4 NLT
God doesn’t
You and I
2. Your giving
Cain= Abel=
Why wasn’t Cain’s offering accepted?
Cain’s offering was tainted by
3. Our giving bears witness
Even though Abel is now dead, his faith still speaks for him
Heb 11:4 CEV
Faith includes
We cannot give God
And expect God to
What are you offering to God today?
