Giving God our Best First Fruits in 2015
Amos 5:21-24 21 I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
The goal of our lives should not be happiness but to please God!
Malachi 1:6-9 Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices 6 A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord Almighty. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, How have we shown contempt for your name?
7 By offering defiled food on my altar. But you ask, How have we defiled you? By saying that the Lord s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty. 9 Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you? says the Lord Almighty.
God only accepts our best! (Our best is different from perfection) God does not want our leftovers!
Malachi 1:10 Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will accept no offering from your hands.
God would rather us not show up (keep the temple doors locked) then give him our leftovers!
Why does God want our best?
Why does God want our best? Malachi 1:11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets.in every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty.
Why does God want our best? Because He is Great!
Malachi 2:1-3 Additional Warning to the Priests And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. 3 Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.
Revelation 1:5b-6 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Also see: 1 Peter 2:9 Revelation 5:10 and 20:6
2 New Testament examples of how serious God is about us putting him first (but there are many more): 1) The Church at Ephesus - Revelation 2:1-7 vs 4) I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 2) Matthew 7:21-23 21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? 23 Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
Malachi 3:10-12 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, says the Lord Almighty. 12 Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the Lord Almighty.
It is impossible to outgive God!
It is impossible to outgive God! Give God your best in 2015!