First, My Brother!
To have our gifts accepted by God, we must first be reconciled to our brother and come to Him with a clean heart.
John Henry Jowett emphasizes the importance of reconciliation and purity in our worship to God. He explains that God looks at the state of our hearts when we bring offerings to Him, rejecting defiled gifts but accepting those brought with clean hands. Jowett uses the example of the widow's mite to illustrate the significance of sacrifice and purity in our offerings. He highlights how broken relationships and unresolved conflicts can hinder our worship and urges the congregation to prioritize reconciliation before presenting gifts to the Lord.
Text
MATTHEW v. 17-24.
"First be reconciled to thy brother." We are to put first things first.
When we bring a gift unto the Lord He looks at the hand that brings it. If
the hand is defiled the gift is rejected. "Wash you, make you clean."
"First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
All this tells us why some resplendent gifts are rejected, and why some
commonplace gifts are received amid heavenly song. This is why the widow's
mite goes shining through the years. The hand that offered it was hallowed
and purified with sacrifice. Shall we say that in that palm there was
something akin to the pierced hands of the Lord? The mite had intimate
associations with the Cross.
And it also tells me why so much of our public worship is offensive to our
Lord. We come to the church from a broken friendship. Some holy thing has
been broken on the way. Someone's estate has been invaded, and his
treasure spoiled. Someone has been wronged, and God will not touch our
gift. "Leave there thy gift; first be reconciled to thy brother."
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Prioritizing Relationships
- The Connection Between Sacrifice and Worship
- The Consequence of Unresolved Conflicts
- The impact on our public worship
- The condition for God's acceptance
Key Quotes
“First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” — John Henry Jowett
“Wash you, make you clean.” — John Henry Jowett
“Leave there thy gift; first be reconciled to thy brother.” — John Henry Jowett
Application Points
- We must prioritize our relationships with others and make amends for any wrongs committed before offering our gifts to God.
- Our worship must be accompanied by a clean heart and a right relationship with others.
- Sacrifice and purity of heart are essential for our gifts to be acceptable to God.