HOLINESS IN GIVING

God wants us to offer to Him the best. He expects us to give in our holiness. Holiness is key in our giving. Why was Cain offering rejected?

Part 1: What characterizes sinful giving?

1. Wrong motive- state of the heart
2. The quality of the offering
   1. Cain didn’t give the best
   2. Any offering given in sin is abominable before God (Prov. 21:27). Cain brought offering of poor quality (Heb. 11:4) and God accepted it.

• Not giving sacrificially. What sacrificial will do to you:
  1. Touches the heart of God and causes him to look at you with favour ( Luke 7: 47-50)
  2. Opens doors of abundance for us (Zarephath widow) (1 Kings 17: 7-16)
  3. Our giving will either make us be accepted by God or be rejected (Cain and Abel) ( Gen. 4: 1-12)
  4. Ananias and Saphirrah hold some of the money back (Acts 5)
  5. Sacrificial giving is key to blessings ( Job 29: 10-29)
  6. It brings honour (Mark 12: 41-44). People are never honoured by what they have received, but by what they have given.
  7. It causes God to provide for us (Gen. 22: 1). God provided a lamb to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.

Part 2: Barriers of serving God in Holiness

1. People – self righteousness
2. One’s idea and thinking- Ananias and Saphirrah thought it wise to keep some of what they had sold.
3. Self deception- Ananias deceived himself and kept some money hence death came as a result

Part 3: Results of sinful giving

1. Rejection by God (Gen. 4:
2. Death -Ananias and Saphirrah ( Acts 5:
3. Provokes the anger of God (Prov. 21:27)

Conclusion

Choose to give to God sacrificially.