Lev 1:3, 'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. In this morning’s reading, we have the continuation of the events after the Tent of Meeting was constructed, as detailed in the last chapters of Exodus. This chapter deals with the manner of the sacrifices as would be pleasing to God. As we have seen, The Lord was very specific in spelling out exactly how everything was to be constructed and then practiced in order to be a soothing aroma to the Lord. 
We are using the New American Standard Bible as our reading text together. But, there is something that we could miss in the passage before us that is highlighted in other texts, such as the King James Version. I would like to read that translation and then follow it up this morning with the manner in which our hearts are to be engaged in the matter of our spiritual offerings. Reading from the King James, then, Lev 1:3, If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.
	Concerning the heart with which the sacrifice is offered to the Lord, the NASB simply uses the phrase …he shall offer it… which implies something that we should really understand. The KJV gives it a more specific emphasis …he shall offer it of his own voluntary will… The key is that the offering is desired to be given. It is not a matter of obligation or of requirement, although the manner of the sacrifice had many specific stipulations. The actual offering was because the suppliant was voluntarily giving of the best of the herd, the animal that was without blemish, the perfect specimen, in order to honor God.
	This is something that is often lost within our social consciousness as Christians in this day and age. There is a lack of regard for the full measure of that which will bring honor and glory to the God Who demands utter perfection in all that we do with respect to our service and our sacrifices and our offerings. We are bombarded with the concept that sufficient is good enough for what we have to do in this realm.
	This is because we are so inundated with all the pressures and the stresses and the strains of our current societal mores. Since there is so much that we are forced to do in this multi-tasking environment, we are not able to do everything, let alone anything, to the point of perfection and excellence. The demands to get done with all the tasks and the requirements of life so overwhelm us that we are forced to grapple with the idea that we just do not have enough time in the day to do things more than adequately, and then tackle the next project. 
This is the necessary outcome of a throw-away mentality such as ours. Nothing is made to last the test of time and nothing is worth salvaging. It is cheaper to buy a new and updated version of everything rather than investing in something that could be repaired and maintained over time. Built-in obsolescence is the order of the day so that consumers will have to buy the latest and newest models to keep the economy infused with more consumer dollars. 
Where I am going with this economic model is that this mentality is often infused into the manner in which we treat the things of God. Our ideas, as shaped by our societal norms and modalities, fully affect our pattern of behavior with regard to the way we bring our offerings to God. That is if we even choose to bring Him any freewill offerings in order to honor and to reverence and to express our hearts of gratitude unto Him. We most often bring only the required 10% as detailed in our tithing handbooks, and figure that is sufficient to make God happy with us. 
Many times, we only tithe because it is our obligation in order to keep things from going wrong in our lives. It is a matter of offering to God the bare minimum in order to appease Him and thus prevent everything from collapsing around us. Notice that the focus is on us and our being able to make God sufficiently satisfied to maintain the equilibrium of our lives. Nothing more and nothing less, it is just the required application of effort and time and money to keep us on a forward trajectory in this life. 
Do you see how our societal patterns of behavior have affected our dealings even with God? There is no joy to bring to Him the very best of our flocks, or the very best of our produce, or the very best of our handiwork. There is no effort expended beyond that which is required in our minds. God gets His due and we can continue to make ends meet as we struggle with the day to day events and situations and circumstances and pressures and crises. 
Think back to, Ex 35:5, when the Lord gave the instructions as to gathering the materials needed for the building of the Tent of Meeting. Ex 35:5, 'Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze… There were tremendous needs for the Tent of Meeting’s construction with regard to gold and silver and many other precious materials. The Tribes of the Children of Israel, just freed from centuries of slavery, were wandering in the desert regions, being hounded by the other nations surrounding them. Yet, when God asked for what was necessary to build the Tent of His presence in their midst, they set aside all the problems and the situations and the dilemmas and the tribulations and the stresses and the pressures of their homelessness.  
    	What was the response of this wandering and tired and struggling people? As a refresher, we have it recounted for us in verses 21+22 of the 35th Chapter of Exodus. Ex 35:21+22, And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the Lord. 
	Notice, it was from everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit caused him to give and to give and to give freely from what was in their possession. These were all free will offerings, as we stressed at the time of looking at these passages. God did not want the Tent for His presence of meeting with His people to be anything forced or required. It could only be built if the people wanted it to be built and were willing to give of their treasuries freely and unreservedly. 
	This is reemphasized in verse 29 of the 35th Chapter of Exodus. Ex 35:29, The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord. Everything was done because the people wanted to have this meeting place with God in their midst. They enthusiastically and unreservedly offered all that was necessary to make the plan of God a reality. They earnestly desired to bless God with all that they could offer Him.
	This was so evident that in the 36th Chapter of Exodus, verses 3-7, we have the need voiced for the people to stop giving, if you will recall. Ex 36:3-7, And they received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform." So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. 
…Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. Sadly, I seriously doubt that we would find, within our own hearts and minds, that this would ever be said of us. I can’t make this a blanket statement because it is a matter of the individual believer and each heart offering to God from the fullness of an earnest and willing desire to give back to Him such honor and praise and adoration in this manner. Each of us needs to ask the Lord what would honor Him in our freewill sacrifices. Are they exactly on this very line of having our hearts and our spirits so moved as to give and to give and to give again from the very best of all that we have to offer Him? Do we so desire to have Him in our midst that we will honor Him with more than just the necessary requirements as we see them?
Also consider the fact, as detailed in Lev 22:21, that what is brought to the Lord is the best of the best. It was not the remnants or the maimed or the substandard for which we have no further use. Lev 22:21, 'And when a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord  to fulfill a special vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 
In my own case, I think of those things that I offer to the Rescue Mission or any of the other charitable organizations, and realize that it is always that which no longer serves my purpose or is not 100% functional, or is almost worn out or does not fit any longer. Do we do the same with what we offer to God? Are we giving Him only the left overs, the less than perfect, the faulty and the malfunctioning aspects and regifts of our hearts and minds and treasuries? 
We need to take to heart the instructions as given to the Children of Israel before they entered into the Promised Land, in Num 15:2+3. Num 15:2+3, "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When you enter the land where you are to live, which I am giving you, then make an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a freewill offering or in your appointed times, to make a soothing aroma to the Lord, from the herd or from the flock. 
Our every day to day living opportunities are to be reflective of the hearts that desire to have God pleased in all that we do. He is to be the focal point of how we deal with the manner in which we live our lives. Therefore, to show that knowledge and our gratitude unto Him, we are to offer freely from all that He provides for us.
This is so even in the manner in which we spend our time on this earth. Too many of us are of the mind that our time is our own to use for our own purposes. But please contrast that thought with what is expressed unto the Lord Jesus Christ in Ps 110:1-3. Ps 110:1-3, The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, "Rule in the midst of Thine enemies." Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Thy youth are to Thee as the dew. 
The promise is that His people, us, will volunteer freely in honor of His power and His glory and His praise. It is not just the matter of our possessions that belong to the Lord, it is the every minute of each day that is His to use as He so ordains in our walk on this earth. And we give that to Him as freewill offerings unto His glory.
We will close with the admonition of the Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Church at Corinth, if you not only bear with me but turn to it. The first passage is 2 Cor 8:10-15, wherein the Apostle gives instruction to those who say they are ready to honor the Lord in accordance with His moving in their hearts. 
2 Cor 8:10-15, And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality — at this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; as it is written, "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack." 
It is a good thing to want to honor the Lord with our freewill offerings, but there is the necessity to do so, to follow through and to complete that which we desire to do. Leaving here this morning with a goal in our heart to give unto the Lord for His glory and His honor and in reverence to His working salvation in our hearts is wonderful. But it must not just be a goal, it must be a conviction that will not cease until our hearts tell us that the Lord God Almighty is fully satisfied, and that we are …a soothing aroma to the Lord. 
 	Our final passage is 2 Cor 9:6-11, a very familiar one which we know very well, and yet may not be so often manifested in our lives. 2 Cor 9:6-11, Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, "He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness abides forever." Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 
	This is not a matter of a how to. This is not a threat that something bad will happen to us if we do not bring any free-will offerings to God. This entire message is a call to my heart to honor God to a depth and a degree that is His due. 
We are not taught this today. We are not instructed nor encouraged to empty the treasury of our hearts unto the Lord in very practical manners that indicate just how much He means to us. That is the core emphasis of this passage before us. It is a measure of the value that God has in our lives as we learn to offer Him everything we are and have …not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed… So be it!
If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. Amen.
   		
This morning’s benediction is Ps 34:8. O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Amen.