The Gospel and Money - 7 Principles - Pt 2 The Redeeming work of Jesus
The Culture of Money - 7 Biblical Principles of the Gospel and Money • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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GREET EVERYONE-
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
This morning - New Member Class begins
Saturday 10-21 - The Final OCC packing party
10-22 SUnday -Prayer Sunday
10-31 Halloweenies Outreach
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to Exodus Chapter 13 today as we continue in our fall teaching series called “The Gospel and money” as we exposing what says about how the Gospel and Money intersect. In this series we will be dealing with 7 Biblical Principles of the Gospel and Money.
My prayer is always no mater what subject we are hearing about - My prayer is that the best we can we hear from the whole counsel of scripture.
Last week we unpacked with Principle number 1 - Jesus is Lord -
and what we unpacked is that Jesus is creator - Jesus is Master of all things becasue Everything was created by Him through Him and For Him.
He owns all things - including the means of economic activity which is money.
As followers of Jesus - We have therefore surrendered our life, our thoughts, out behaviors, our time, our talents, Everything in our life. including possessions and money to the Lordship of Jesus as Jesus calls all of us to get rid of anything that has our heart and stands in the way of deep abiding intimacy with Him.
So ultimately since Jesus is Lord and He owns everything including money
Therefore - jesus followers have ultimately surrendered our decisions on how we spend His money back to Him where that decision making belongs.
We don this not becasue He commands us to by tryany but becasue He has said so out of His love for us.
So this brings us to the second principle of how the Gospel and money intersect and that is “the redeeming work of Jesus”
We will look at lots of texts for this second principle.
But here are a few things that I want you to hear before we step into the scriptures.
ONE - All of the messages in this series are linked together -
So miss one you might miss interpret the other - So if you have missed one, before the day is finished please make sure you go back and listen to last weeks message -
Remember we want to understand what God says in His word form the Whole Counsel of Scripture - so if you have missed one please please please go back and listen to the previous messages.
TWO - In all 7 of these messages there might not be one that is more important to know and understand when it comes to the Gospel and money becasue this one like the last one deal with all of our life.
THIRD - If God is first in your life and you walk that out in ever area of your life - then you life will have order to it.
Let me say that again - If God is first in everything - You life will have order - becasue God is a God of order.
That does not crazy and chaos wont be happening around you.
IT might -
Jesus said “in this life you will have tribulation, but fear not I have over come the world”
So we might have tribulation - we might have storms - But when God is first in our life and we walk that out in differing areas - In the storm our life will have order.
So lets look at some texts this morning.
TRUTH
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
PRAY
DESIRE FOR THE MESSAGE
My prayer for this series is that we would understand from the full counsel of Scripture how the Gospel and money Intersect.
That God has given resources to you and to me for 2 things
1 - to advance the Gospel and 2 - Human flourishing.
There there is nothing evil about money but there is a purpose and an intent that God has with money and that is to Advance His kingdom and for human flourishing.
My prayer for this message is that we would come to know and understand and embed in the life that we all live and How the principle of the redeeming work of Jesus - the Gospel intersects in the redemption of all things and that includes money.
And we would understand walk out in our lives the preeminence of God - In other words - What it is for God to be first in all things.
ENGAGEMENT
I want to start this morning delineating for us all the word Preeminence.
Preeminence is not a word we hear everyday in our normal language. here is what i mean by that
When your at Walmart or HEB or down tubing in the river we will not hear the word Preeminence used in our every day normal life.
Predominant is a word that we might hear.
But there is a significant difference in predominant and preeminent.
You can say that of all the produce at HEB - high quality produce is predominant -
What that means is that High quality produce at HEB is what you are more likely find out of all the produce at HEB becasue a majority of HEB produce is high quality.
In other words High quality produce at HEB is the highest among all the produce.
Another way to look at the word is Predominance means best among many. or most among many
Now Here is what preeminent means -
HEB is the Preeminent carrier of High quality produce.
Here is what that word now had communicated -
HEB carries only high quality produce.
If you go to HEB you can expect that you will only find High quality produce.
Here is what preeminent means -
It means the only choice among choices.
God - is Preeminent -
Jesus is the ONLY -
Jesus is so preeminent that he is not the only among choices He is the only one that is.
Were gonna come back to that one in a minute -
But is is very important to know and to hear that God is and there fore Jesus is preeminent.
BACKGROUND
Our passage this morning is from the Old Testament -
You might be saying “Pastor that is way way way to Old to apply to anything in this modern age -
But Here is why this message is so important -
This is dealing with a principle that is repeated all throughout Scripture -
From Genesis to Revelation the effect of the redeeming work of Jesus in His preeminence is on display with eternal effects of the fall or redemption of all things.
So Lets look at our Text this morning
Exodus Chapter 13 -
Now - I know that some of us this morning are going “Pastor this is exodus” This is 4000 years ago or longer -
How does this work?
I want you to remember we are looking for a principle -
some may say “But this is under the Law and we are set free from the Law
Church Hear God word on this - We are set free from the condemnation of the Law which is death - But here is something we are not set free from -
We are not set free from the principles of God -
And the Redeeming work of Jesus is Genesis through revelation.
Here is what is happening here in this time line -
Moses has just lead the people out of the land of Egypt - Out from under the oppression of being slaves for 400 years -
Delivering His people from the Enemy of His people.
However is what is important to understand about the Old Testament -
The reason why many of the narratives are in the Old Testament that we want to walk through in a new testament time are because they have a singular purpose.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
The Old Testament was written as and example to us so we would not desire Evil or the things that are against Jesus like they did.
UNPACKING
Lets look -
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
So Here is who is talking and here is who is listening -
God is talking -
Exodus says that God used to talk to Moses face to face like one man talked to a friend or a brother.
So YHWY is talking - And His servant moses whom God has specifically prepared for this current role in moses life - was listening.
Here is what GOD said -
Now moses didn't say this God said this -
In other words if this were in the New testament These words would be in red.
Here is what God said:
Consecrate - Here is what that words means —
It means “set apart” “separate from the rest” Set apart from the rest for my work” -
This is what consecrate means - Set it apart form the rest becasue I want it to do something that I have planed for it”
And there is a specific direction or to whom this setting apart goes to =
Consecrate TO ME. Set aside FOR ME - Separate from the rest FOR ME.
ALL the firstborn. not some of not part of the first born -
BUT ALL the first born.
God is all inclusive in this declaration -
and He clarifies and is specific -
What EVER opens the womb among the people of Israel - Both of Man and of Beast - IT MINE -
This is an intensely emphatic statement that God has just made -
ANYTHING or ANYONE who is first to come out of mama’s either Man or Beasts - God has Just said -
IS HIS -
IT Belongs to HIM - and becasue it belongs to Him we are to set it aside - we are to separate it from all the rest for His purpose.
Move down to verse 11
VS11
When God bring you into the promised land - in other words “when I have saved you and brought you to your new life - in the promised land of the Canaanites - Here is what you will do.
VS 12
- You shall set apart - Same words - You shall consecrate - You shall separate for me for my purposes.
ALL THAT OPENS THE WOMB.
ALL of the first born of your animals that are male - Shall be the LORDS -
Shall be YAWYS
Same words “is mine”
Remember what God said back in verse 2 - The First born they are mine.
This is like when someone come to your house for dinner and looks at your possession and some of them valuable possessions and says to you. “i think I will take that with me” you response will be” THAT IS MINE.
God says Set them apart for what I want them to do and in vs 13 he says here is the plan.
VS 13
Every first born of a donkey - You shall redeem with a lamb -
So two things here - One practical and one exemplary -
1st the practical.
God was saying - All the first born are mine - Now if there is a first born male donkey that you want to use around the farm and you want to purchase back from me.
That costs a lamb. You must buy it back form me with a lamb.
If you want it for your purposes - you must Substitute the lamb for the male donkey -
But here is what else is interesting -
The first born - They are God's Always - You either redeem it or you sacrifice it - You break its neck.
You see - you either redeem it or you loose it.
Either way its not yours to do with as you please.
GOd says “the first born are mine.
God then goes into the first born of man.
EVERY - first born of man you shall redeem. and how is the first born of man redeemed with a lamb.
A substitute.
Now Lets look at the Exemplary -
In Vs 13 there are examples of TWO types of animals - CLEAN and UNCLEAN.
Lambs were sacrificed and Donkeys were dead or redeemed by lambs -
Now here is the example -
Donkeys are examples of “unclean animals” and Lambs are examples of CLEAN animals.
Donkeys are Born in a class of animals that are UNCLEAN
Lambs are born in a class of animals that are CLEAN
The first born of Men are UNCLEAN and the Lambs by which they must be redeemed are CLEAN.
SO How does this apply to us -
I hope you are ahead of me on this one -
Are we born clean or unclean?
We are born UNCLEAN by nature?
Parents - How many of us have raised Children and we had to teach them how to be bad?
We are born Sinners - We are sinners by nature and by choice -
We are in desperate need of being redeemed -
Jesus - Was he born clean or unclean?
Clean - This is why he is called “the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world ?
But here is interesting - Jesus is also called “the first born of all creation -
The first born from among the dead -
The first fruits
and He gave Himself to redeem us -
Clean for unclean -
and if we are not redeemed - then we are dead -
See the correlation.
Remember this is a principle that applies to our life - It is a principle of the Gospel that intersects with money
So in our life the Principle of the redeeming work of Jesus works across the spectrum.
SO What God is telling us is that the first belongs to Him and we either bring it to him or we loose it.
In other words - Some people call this the principle of first fruits or first born - or the principle of first.
Because the redemption of the first redeemed the rest.
You might be saying “Pastor” first fruits?” This is first born.
Yes remember we are looking at the redeeming work of Jesus offered by God to God and God’s first born or first fruit.
This exemplary and foreshadowing principle of the redeeming work of Jesus is all through out the Bible.
Let me give you some more.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
You can exchange Income for the word produce.
But you see a 1000 years after Exodus and the principle still holds.
Exodus 34:26 (ESV)
26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.
HE told Jacob when Isreal too Jericho the fist city of the promised land -
BRING all the silver and the Gold of the city into the house of the lord for it is mine -
Why - His people had to put Him first to receive what God had promised -
Here is the reality -
It was this way - God claimed the first fruits and the first of everything as His -
Here is why - God says the first fruit and the first of everything are His
Its a matter of the Heart -
IF you are a rancher - and you are beginning to have a heard and you are developing a heard -
Which takes more trust in God - More faith?
To bring and return to God the first born - Not knowing if you will have another or not?
or
To choose and give to God AFTER your heard is established. You see here is what God knows about our hearts -
If we don't bring the First Born or the First fruits we will not bring the best. We will keep the best for ourselves.
One of the important things about the first born is in most cases the first born is the healthiest and the strongest-
What is amazing is it was this way from the very start -
Ever wondered why God Accepted Able offering and rejected Cains -
In fact the words that are used are God Had regard for Able and His offering but for Cain and His offering He had No Re guard.
IF you have never read the story it is a great one to see the redeeming work of Jesus in what we bring to GOD.
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
You see the first born of Able flock brought a redeeming work of being regarded by God -
As where Cains was AN offering of any old portion.
What I imagine was that Cain made sure his storehouses were full and then brought an offering
Where able - brought the first born and didn know whether he would have more abut trysted God by faith -
This is exactly why the Bible says “without faith it is impossible to please God -
Some may say - Well God could have blessed or redeemed Cains -
Listen to me Loved ones - God COULD NOT have accepted Cains offering and Could not have blessed Cain by offering it.
You might say “well God could have if he wanted to”
Listen loved ones GOD could not have done that.
There are a few things that GOD Cannot do -
Here are a few examples - God cannot think like we think.
God know all things all the time and so here are a few lines of dialog that you will not hear God say -
“it just dawned on me”
You will never hear the our heavenly Father say to the Holy Spirit “you dint see that coming?
There are no surprises with God becasue God does not think and consider and ponder and contemplate like we do - God knows all things all the time -
Here is another one - God cannot change - This is why this principle of first fruit first born was and is the power of the redeeming work if Jesus - Because God cannot change -
If god could change He could get better and since He is perfect in all he doesn and in all His precepts or principles He is God.
Here is another one - God can not act in a way that is contrary to himself - He cannot act in a way that is contrary to his character and nature - Better known as His attributes.
Here is another thing - God cannot be second -
God is preeminent.
Which means God is the ONLY - He can never be second - You may make him second in your life, but trust me when I say this no matter what you do you cannot change the order of all things - God is preeminent
This is why - He blesses the what when bring to him when we bring our first fruits/firs born -
becasue it puts Him first in real and tangible ways.
This is why Able was blessed and Cain was not - And there was a Waring given to cain “sin is crouching at your door”
You didn't put me first - you pout you first and sin is right here.
SO how does this work out in our life -
How does the redeeming work of God’s first born of God's first fruits have a redeeming effect on our life here while we have breath?
We made the statement that at the beginning.
When we place God first out life will have order and be well aligned.
That does’nt not mean we will not have tribulation or trouble - But what it does mean is wile the trouble is about us we will have order in our life and alignment.
Lets look at it form some day to day stuff -
If when I get up - I give the first fruit of my day - The first time of my day to God in prayer and communion with Him in His word.
Does he bless and redeem the rest of my day?
This is why Abraham rose earl in the morning ans stood before the Lord.
This is why Moses rose early in the morning and built an alter to the lord.
This is why Samuel's father Rose earl in the morning to worship before the Lord.
This is why over 9 times in the Psalms David talks Community with God in the morning.
the first fruit hours of the day given to God redeem the rest of the day.
You see it a principle -
Now How does this work out with out money?
What is the portion that you bring -return to God -
Notice I dint say Give -
You see you cannot give something that is not yours!
Do you bring the first of your finances to God and have the rest aligned and ordered, blessed and redeemed or to you give thee first portion to HEB or GVTC or the mortgage company or your investment firms.
You see it takes Trust in God to bring the first portion of the income god gives you and pay the bills with the rest -
Here is how that works in our house -
Brandi and I get paid electronically -
When that deposit lands in our account - I go in the App and the first thing is I bring electronically the first portion to God because God says that is his - so I electronically bring that and returne it to Him.
Now its electronic. and so is most everything else.
Here is what we don't need to do - We don't need to turn legalistic about this -
Here is what I mean -If Brandi goes to QT and gets gas before I have a chance to bring to God what is God’s - Here is what I don't do - I do go to Brandi and say Great honey thanks a lot were now cursed becasue the rest of our money is not blessed and redeemed.
So I'm not preaching legalism and God is not legalistic -
This is not a principle of the Law this is a precept of the Heart. Do you put God first in every area by action becasue of your heart towards God?
That’s what this is dealing with - This is a hearrt principle not a legal principle.
This is why Jesus says “where the treasure is there you hear will be also”
This is a principle of the heart not of the law!
Jesus wants the redeeming work of Him being the first fruit - the first born of God, Given by God to God to redeem you and I - Clean and Unclean to be magnified in our hearts and lived out in every area of our life -
In the way we use and schedule our time
In the way we use and distribute our talents
and especially in the way we distribute the financial resources that God supplies for the advance of the Gospel and for human flourishing.
VS14
14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
Here is the reason this is so important -
IT is THE way that you begin to proclaim the Gospel and give testimony to the work of GOD.
There will come a day when I sit with Andrew and Xavier as I did with some of my other children.
and I show them how mom and dad navigate the waters of money - It is THE opportunity we all have as parents to share with our kids How the Gospel redeems everything - as Paul tells timothy that Jesus was sent to redeem ALL THINGS.
When my sons look at my ledger and spread sheets and asks “why did you send so much to the different churches that you and mom were apart of over the years”
I wont say “becasue I wanted God to bless”
I will say “becasue already blessed dad, with His mighty hand, God brought me out of slavery of sin and darkness, and so I gladly give to God what He says is His. Becasue Daddy was not always a Jesus follower -
And I will tell Him of the might works of God in my life and how God saved me and redeemed me with His first born - With His only Begotten - Jesus.
and how the redeeming work of Jesus cleaned my life up and changed the way I live.
ASKING GOD
As Bryan and the team come to lead us into musical worship.
HEre is what I want us to do -
FOr the next several minutes - I want all of us to ask GOd what is He saying to us this moning through His word?
I want us all to spend a minute or two in prayer and silent comtemplation, asking God, what does He want to change about the way I deal with the redeeming work of Jesus - What does He want me to change about the firsts portions of time talents and treasure.
What heart issue do we have that He wants to change by the redeeming work of jesus? In every area of life?
And after a few minutes - when Bryan and team begin to sing Lyrics then we will sing -
But for the next few minutes lets pray and reflect on our life.
PRAYER TEAM!