Offering in Righteousness.docx Offering in Righteousness.

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efrnc: MALACHI 3:1-4 3. What offerings are you to bring?
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hurc: GRACE D
ate: 05/29/11 They are spiritual, (1 Pet 2:5).  NT writers list them for us 
Offering in Righteousness
Purpose: To show the immense privilege true believers have as priests to God - 3.1. You are to offer your body a living sacrifice
to make offerings to Him in righteousness. Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
1. Introduction which is your spiritual service of worship.
Began a series last year on the privileges of our priesthood:  This offering is absolute and total.  Not offering an arm, or a leg 
a) We have access to God ‐ our consciences have been cleansed  The whole body a living sacrifice to the Lord for spiritual service 
We can draw near at any time ‐ better access than Aaron!  It is like a foreign language to 21st century believers 
b) We have a right to eat of the altar ‐ feed spiritually on Christ.   Becoming a Christian today makes very few demands on us.   
Atoning sacrifices in the OT could not be eaten by the priests!  We have toned down the expectations. 
c) This time, we will look at bringing offerings in righteousness  Surely God doesn't expect us to be completely at His disposal? 
Read Malachi 3:1‐4.  We will see:  Isn't it the other way around?  Isn't He at our beck and call? 
 You are to bring offerings to God as His priest "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." 
 What offerings you are to bring "Therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Cor 6:19‐20) 
 How you are to bring them How are you doing with this offering this morning? 
Have you offered God your whole body in sacrifice today, ever? 
2. You are to bring offerings to God as His priests
Mal 3:3 ‐ Jesus will purify Levi's sons so they may bring offerings  3.2. You are to offer praise and prayer
The "sons of Levi" were the priests of the OT  First, your praise. Again, look at our meditation:
So who are spiritual descendants of Levi in NT?  You, believers!  1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY
It says Jesus purified you so that you may bring an offering  NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may
proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness
This is confirmed in many places ‐ like our meditation, and:  into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:4–5 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been
rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you You are a priest so that you may declare His excellencies 
also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a This is the very reason you are God's!  
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God Hebrews 13:15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a
through Jesus Christ. sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to
So as a priest to God, you are to bring offerings ‐ it's expected  His name.
Not the pastor, elders, men in funny costumes & hats  Your praise is a sacrifice ‐ the fruit of lips that confess His name.   
You, believer, are a priest to God Most High!  If you are His, you will produce this fruit of praise to Him.   
You, believer, were purified so you may make offerings!  It will be continual 
You would be a weird priest if you never offered anything!  How are you doing with your sacrifice of praise to God? 
Not priesthood of all believers (abstract) ‐ your priesthood!  Is it continual or erratic, rich & heartfelt, or meagre, superficial? 
A high calling and privilege indeed, but not without responsibility  He made you a priest to offer Him praise! 
You are to proclaim His excellencies!  Do you? 
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Second, your prayers  Are they abundant, cheerfully done and directed to God in love? 
Psalm 141:1–2 O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to When you do something for a brother or sister,  
my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense
Are you conscious it is an offering to God? 
before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
Revelation 8:3–4 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding
a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he 3.4. You are to offer your Gospel testimony
might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which Here is something remarkable. 
was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the 2 Corinthians 2:14–15 But thanks be to God, who always leads us
prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the
Do you ever think of your prayers as a sacrifice ‐ an offering?  knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ
We began this year with a study on prayer.    to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
Suggested prayer partners.  perishing;
Had a day of prayer and fasting  The primary image here is of a triumphal procession 
We recently completed a study of 52 reasons to pray.    Incense was used in Roman victory parades  
How are you doing in your sacrifice of prayer?   Yet word used for "fragrance" is in the LXX used for sacrifices 
Is your prayer life rich & costly, something special to offer Him?  Preachers of the Gospel (like Christ) are a sweet smelling savor 
Here is reason #53! Your prayers rise as incense before God!  Acceptable and pleasing to God as they declare the Good News 
And you are this fragrance, this sacrifice, as you offer the Gospel 
3.3. You are to offer your good works & sharing How are you doing with this offering to God? 
Now we are getting to things not often considered as sacrifices  Are you a Gospel preacher? The aroma of Christ to God? 
Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with
such sacrifices God is pleased. 3.5. You are to offer souls saved as you labor
All your good works as a believer  Something else remarkable! 
All your sharing with your brothers and sisters  Romans 15:15–16 But I have written very boldly to you on some
All these, done rightly, are sacrifices and offerings to God. Why?  points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was
given me from God, 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the
Because in offering service to one another, we offer it to Him:  Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my
Matthew 25:37–40 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the
did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You Holy Spirit.
something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and How is this an offering? 2 possible meanings ("my" is supplied) 
invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You
sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and 1st When someone is saved, offer themselves as a living sacrifice 
say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of So they are offered up to God then, acceptable through Christ 
these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ But 2nd they also offer their own acceptable sacrifices to Him 
This is how Paul regarded the gifts shared with him from Philippi:  Do you share this ministry of Paul?   
Philippians 4:18 But I have received everything in full and have an
abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus
You are not Apostles, but are ministers of Gospel, soul‐winners 
what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well- So, where is your offering?   
pleasing to God. Wouldn't you like to have more to offer your king? 
How are your sacrifices of good works and sharing this morning?   Trophies of His grace, won for Him as you declare His Gospel? 
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4. How are you to bring these offerings? They demonstrate the esteem in which the recipient is held 

So in summary, you are to offer everything to the Lord:   2 Samuel 24:24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will
 Your bodies,   surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to
the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the
 Your praise and prayers,   threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
 Your good works and sharing  Remember when Israel was offering blemished animals to God? 
 Your Gospel witness and souls saved through your labors  Malachi 1:8–9 “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not
But how are you to bring these offerings to the Lord?  evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not
offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would
Let's return to Malachi and see what it says  he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now will you
Malachi 3:3 “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an
purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the
they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. Lord of hosts.
The OT priests brought sacrifices to obtain an outward cleansing  So what is true of your sacrifices? 
They made offerings FOR an outward righteousness   In a day when most who call themselves Christians  
But their consciences were never cleansed and could not be  Spend their time playing down the cost of discipleship 
Then Jesus came and through one sacrifice, purified His people   Are you giving the best you can to the Lord in all these areas? 
You have been made inwardly clean, righteous  Is it costing you a lot, and do you gladly bear that cost? 
In that cleanness, you present your offerings to God!  Do you wish it could be more, or do you feel you do enough? 
You do not make offerings FOR righteousness ‐ works!  Spurgeon's constitution 
You bring your sacrifices IN the righteousness of Christ!   
In the complete cleansing that the OT sacrifices pointed to  You have better access to God than Aaron himself 
You wear His robes as you minister!  You eat better portions from a better altar 
Such sacrifices are well pleasing to God (Mal 3:4)  You have been purified, offer better sacrifices in righteousness 
Something that Aaron and the OT priests could never do!  Glorious privileges!  All yours in Christ 
You bring better sacrifices than they did!  Make the most of them! 
Just as everything else about your priesthood is better!   
But what of you who are not the Lord's? 
5. Conclusions You have no righteousness; You have no offering 
You are to bring offerings to God as His priests  You are without God and without hope in the world 
Your bodies, prayers, praises, your good works & sharing  And this is your choice! 
Your Gospel testimony and the souls saved through it  Does it make any sense? 
(Note again the correspondence with evangelism, holy living,  Is there any way your decision can be considered reasonable? 
worship and defence of the truth from the Strategic Plan)  Come to Christ now!  It is the only rational thing to do 
But one closing challenge:  He will purify you and make you a son of Levi 
It is in the nature of offerings and sacrifices that they are costly  And you will then have an offering to bring Him 
They cost the one making the sacrifice  Clothed in the righteousness He has given you! 
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