Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction to first fruits

this word firstfruits is a word that is used in both the Old Testament and the New testament.

It is a word that speaks of the first and the best that is to be given back to God.

In the book of Matthew Jesus sums up the principle of firstfruits in one verse.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you!

this verse encapsulates the principle of firstfruits!

It involves two parts:

Putting God first

Putting God first in every area of our lives!

In our time, in our talent, in our treasure.

in relationships, in our pursuits.

many times we state it this way: God first, then family, then church, then my job, then my health…then…then…then

but the way it should look is…God first in my family,, god first in my church, God first in my career, etc...

Promise if we do (And all these things shall be added unto you)

Yes…firstfruits is about putting God first…but it is also about unlocking the promises of God in our lives!

I want us to look at Leviticus 23:10 very closely.

This passage is about the firstfruit offering unto God…and we going to see, in this verse, three powerful elements concerning our giving God the firstfruits.

first lets read this verse again together

“When ye be come into the land which I give unto you...”

When ye be come into the land

There was something significant that was set in motion when they stepped into the promised land that moved them to a place of giving unto the Lord.

the land of promise was a place of living by faith!

Of conquering and driving out adversaries.

It was a place of moving from walking in circles to possessing land.

From depending on Manah to fruitfulness.

The wilderness was the domain of doubt.

a generation of doubters died in the wilderness, because the promised land is the frontier of faith.

The typology of leaving the Old Testament wilderness and crossing over into the promise land was moving into a life of faith.

A life where we trust and we depend on the Lord.

And there was no offering of firstfruits in the wilderness.

It was WHEN you come into the land that I give unto you.

The offering of firstfruits unto God is only relevant to those that have entered into a walk of faith.

Those that live in doubt and unbelief will continue to walk in circles and settle for manna.

The climate was right in the land of promise

there could be no firstfruits offered in the wilderness because they were fruitless!

The climate of the wilderness wasn’t conducive to fruitfulness

The soil wouldn’t produce a crop.

the land of promise was a place of conquering and possessing.

They were nomads always on the move in the wilderness.

Fruitfulness takes seasons of sewing and reaping.

it takes seasons of rain and sunshine.

It takes season of harvest.

You can’t be fruitful when you don’t possess anything.

Before they had simply travelled from one location to the next…they had no land they would call their own.

But WHEN they entered into this land of promise, they would begin to possess the land.

Joshua 5:11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.

12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land.

And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

God caused the manna to cease, because he was working to mature them.

mature them to what?

a.

To trust in his laws - Back in Genesis, God had put laws in place that governed the fruitfulness.

For the years in the wilderness, God provided for them supernaturally, but when it came time to move into the land of promise, the supernatural provision had to come to an end and they had to trust in the laws that God had put in place to govern the land.

One of the signs of spiritual maturity is that we trust the laws that God has put in place to govern our lives .

2. God caused the manna to cease, to move them from complacency

God had called them to drive out the inhabitants of the land and to possess it.

If they would have moved into Canaan and manna still been there, it would have been easy to simply settle.

Why go and fight if we have everything that we need.

but he didn’t just cut off the manna...

Notice the wording in Joshua 5:11…the day after they ate the produce.

Once they had tasted that there was more and better inside of this land of promise, God cut off the supply of manna.

Sometimes, we’ve got to get a little taste in our mouth of what more there is.

If all you’ve ever eaten is chicken fingers and cheeseburgers....you will be satisfied.

but you mess around and eat some aroz con pollo…get ahold of a good t-bone steak…sink your teeth into a some perfectly smoked ribs.

You wont be satisfied with chicken fingers and cheeseburgers.

And sometimes, God has to let you get a little taste in your mouth that he more so that you won’t settle

And once the had tasted the produce…They saw what their could be.

Then…He shut down the manna.

Now you’ve got a two-fold motivator.

That vegetables were good…but this isn’t just about how good the corn was…if we don’t get more corn, we are going to die.

and the only way to get more corn is we’ve got to get more fields and to get more fields, we’ve got to take more land!

Spiritual complacency is a pandemic that exists in the wilderness of doubt and unbelief.

Spiritual complacency is a pandemic that robs the modern church of fruitfulness and territory that God has promised us.

Because many are satisfied with manna, and they argue…and they correct in their argument…that this place they are in God brought them to…that is correct…but he has more.

But you will never possess the land living on manna.

And when the only hope for your next meal is winning the next battle…and taking more territory, you fight, you advance, you overcome.

And some of us are living defeated and depleted because we’re satisfied with manna

and first fruits will not make sense to those content with the wilderness.

Because first fruits only apply to those living in a place of fruitfulness

The next aspect of firstfruits is found as we continue to read vs. Leviticus 23:10

Leviticus 23:10 (KJV 1900)

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

2. ye shall reap the harvest

First fruits was the best of what God had done…it was the result of the previous cycle of sewing and reaping.

First fruits is gratitude for what God HAS blessed us with

It was thanking God for what he had done

Deuteronomy 16:10 (KJV 1900)

10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:

Two key elements:

1. Freewill

2. The amount given was to be in proportion to God goodness in the season preceeding.

A firstfruits offering is to be given of ones’ freewill.

It should not be out of guilt, or manipulation.

Again firstfruits is summarized in Matthew 16:33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…that is every area of our lives.

It our time, in our finances, in our relationships...

Whenever you decide to make a first fruit offering, the important thing is that you do it freely, with no guilt or obligation.

This is supposed to be a celebration of all that God has done for you.

And according to the harvest!

Well how much should I give him?

Well that depends…how was your harvest?