“Doing Your Best
For The Master”

 Preacher: Pastor John H. West, III
Date: March 21, 1999
Notes:

Our Text: Genesis 4:2-5

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  (Genesis 4:2-5)

If you ask the average Christian why he or she goes to church, you might hear them say they go because of:

Rarely do you hear anyone say they come to church to give. 

We treat offering time as if it was a television commercial.  We think of it as a pause in the midst of worship.  But we should treat it as a part of worship.  We need to be stewards of the gifts, talent and time that God has given us.   Even if you are a good steward or a good giver, you should make a decision to make an even larger gift.

Move up one percent to give one percent more and do better in 1999 than you were able to do in 1998. 

Some of you have already raise your giving and feel that you are doing enough.   But are you doing your best?  Is there room for growth?  For improvement?   For expansion?  Is your giving as great as your gratitude to God?

Our text shows the importance of giving your best to the Lord.

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (Genesis 4:2)

Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden and had two sons.  Cain was a farmer.   Abel was a shepherd.  Even back then, at the beginning of mankind, they had enough sense to know that they needed to worship God.  Today, we are near a new millennium, yet we don't worship or acknowledge God.

Both Cain and Abel had to answer a question that we also need to ask.  "How much do I give to God?"

When Cain and Abel gave their offerings, they had to decide what and how much to give to the Lord.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  (Genesis 4:3)

Abel brought the firstlings of his flock.  Cain brought the fruit of the ground.   Our offering must come from what we possess.  Cain did not offer Abel's sheep.   Abel did not offer to God Cain's harvest.  They brought what they made.

God doesn't require of us what we don't produce ourselves.  If you have nothing, you give nothing.  If you have a lot, God expects our best.

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.   (Luke 12:48)

We don't all have the same resources.  Some can give $150/week to the church.   Others can only give $50 or $25 a week.  Whatever you have to give, give of your best to the Master. 

The Lord accepted Abel's sacrifice but rejected Cain's sacrifice.  Why?  Cain brought to the Lord an offering.  Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat portions.  The difference had nothing to do with what they gave or the quantity.   God didn't care how much they gave.  It had to do with the quality of their offerings. 

Abel brought the first fruit of his flock.  Cain did not give the first fruit of his harvest.  Cain gave an offering without sacrifice.  He gave grudgingly, not generously.  He gave with attitude, not with gratitude.  Giving with the wrong attitude means we are not giving our best.

Don't give:

You can't beat God's giving, no matter how you try.  However, don't give with self-centeredness.  Give because God is so good.  Give because you love the Lord and the Lord loves you.

Able didn't give left overs.  Abel gave the best, not the lean, lame and leftover.   Abel gave God his very best.

Some people say, "Give until it hurts."  Giving beyond your comfort zone brings a blessing.  We need to give to God the best that we have.

We don't just give tithes.  We give tithes and offerings.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.   And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.  And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Malachi 3:10-12)

Giving weekly is great spiritual discipline, but to be a tither, we give at least 10 percent. 

.1

to

 1

1

to

 10
10 to 100
100 to 1,000

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.  (Leviticus 27:30)

The tithe is holy to the Lord.  That 10% doesn't belong to you.  It is God's property.  If you take that money and spend it, you are stealing from God.  It may be in your pocket, but only because we are stewards.  We don't own it, we simply take care of it for the owner.

The local storehouse is not:

If you get sick, see if Oral Roberts will come to your house.  If you lose a loved one, see if Benny Hinn will come to see you.

We give not only tithes, we also give offerings.  An offering is what we give beyond the tithe.  A tithe is not the maximum.

In Malachi 3:10-12 we see the need to give tithes and offerings.  Not one or the other but both and.  The tithe is the minimum.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:   (Genesis 4:4)

Abel brought the firstlings.  This was his tithe, his 10% off the top.  But it says, "and of the fat thereof."  The fat is the richest, most precious portion.  He gave the best of the best. 

God gave His best:

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.  (John 3:16)

For God so loved the world
        That is the greatest love

That He gave
        That is the greatest gift

His only begotten Son
        That is the greatest Savior

That whosoever believeth in him
        That is the greatest promise

Should not perish
        That is the greatest redemption

But have everlasting life.
        That is the greatest life

God has given us everything we need.  God gave His very best. 

Give of your best to the Master
Give of the strength of your youth
Throw your soul's fresh glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth
Jesus has set the example
Dauntless was He ________
Give Him your loyal devotion
Give Him the best that you have