Why FIRST Matters

VIDEO - Dan Stevers Short Film - First fruits

I trust You, GOD, to take care of the rest. What a powerful statement. But more than a statement, what a POWERFUL action and truth to live by!

This morning we continue our series New Normal with a message that might surprise you a bit. Yet the truth we are going to look at is critical to the continuance of God’s blessing upon our lives as we journey further into the new land of promise God has for us.

With God’s help, Joshua has led the people of Israel to victory over the fortified city of Jericho. The walls came down, the city was defeated… what seemed impossible was made possible by the power of God.

Joshua and the people opted to stay the course. They decided to follow the instructions of the Lord even when the action seemed repetitive and ineffective.

Joshua and the people also allowed for praise to lead the way. And when it came time to shout… they did not give a war cry, but gave a shout of victory for the battle had already been won!

It was up to God to bring the walls down… but it was up to the people to give the shout of praise. THEIR PRAISE HAD BECOME LOUDER THAN THE BATTLE BEFORE THEM.

When we praise God no matter our circumstance, we lose sight of how big the walls are, and remember how BIG our God is!

Jericho was now a defeated fortress and it was time to keep moving. But something happened… something took place that caused a major problem within the camp of the people of God.

Jericho was the first battle the people would face in the promised land. God truly delivered the city into the hands of Joshua! GOD CAME THROUGH.

As this was the first… the “spoils” of victory, if you will, were to be set aside for the Lord. This was a first fruits offering to God. Look at the instruction that was given

Joshua 6:18–19 NIV

18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

The increase that the people had just experienced was a result of what the Lord had done for them. HE BROUGHT THE VICTORY.

Consider this: It was a shout of praise that brought the walls down… the people shouted as they believed in God’s instruction and promise.

And in response, the first victory and all that came with it belonged to the Lord. It was an act of obedience and worship of the One who just won them the battle. God had brought them this far… and He would continue to bless His people so long as they continued to walk in faith and obedience.

And the same goes for us today. God desires to bless you today. Do you believe that?

Maybe your circumstance doesn’t feel very… blessed. Maybe your situation feels more cursed than blessed. And I’m not just talking of finances… this might include your health, your family, your job, or all of the above!

God is in the blessing business… and if we desire to WALK in His blessing, we must identify the key step of faith that keeps us on the path of His blessing - the giving of our first fruits.

Today’s message is called Why FIRST Matters. And this message is based of a truth found in Scripture that begins in Genesis and is seen throughout the entire Bible.

This truth, as the video helped to communicate, began before any law was given and before any covenants were made. It spans both the Old and New Testament and communicates this simple truth: OUR GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR FIRSTS.

The problem is… self often gets in the way of living this truth out. The problem is, people tend to believe they know how to handle their increase better than God knows how to handle their increase.

Cain only gave God out of his abundance, but Abel gave BEFORE there was abundance. Do you see the difference? Giving God our first is a step of faith as we have no idea if more increase is coming.

Does this concept really matter to God? Absolutely it does! It mattered in the Genesis… before the establishment of any law or covenant… and it matters in our study of Joshua and the promised land!

God brought down the walls of Jericho and all of the devoted things were to be brought to the Lord’s treasury. Everyone was on the same page here… the first belonged to God… at least that is what Joshua believed.

Not long after the victory at Jericho, the Israelites found themselves in a battle against the people of Ai. The Israeli spies had reported that victory would require only 2-3,000 men. This was a sure win… not everyone needed to go to the battle front. But look at what happens in Joshua 7:4-5

Joshua 7:4–5 NIV

4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

Uh oh! The same people who witnessed the walls of Jericho come down with a shout, were just overtaken in an embarrassing way! Where was the miracle this time? Why was the victory withheld from the people of Israel?

The answer is simple… the people, rather one person, withheld their obedience from God. This man’s name was Achan… and he had sinned against the Lord. What did Achan do? He acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things. he took some of them instead of giving all to the Lord’s treasury. As a result, Joshua 7:1 tells us, “The Lord’s anger burned against Israel.”

The people of Israel were now out of step with God’s plan and design. Instead of acting in obedience, Achan acted out of self-interest… and it ended up costing them dearly.

36 fighting men lost their lives. The battle group was routed by what appeared to be an easy target, but what’s worse is the hearts of the people melted in fear because of what happened.

So let’s tie the importance of first fruits giving to our entrance into God’s new normal. What is the connection?

There is a phrase out there that simply says this, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Pastor John Lindell expands on this saying by offering this:

There is surely truth to this, But I might adapt it to say, “How you do the first thing is how you do everything.” Because how this new land is won is how it will be sustained, and the means by which you came into it are the means by which you will attempt to occupy it.

Now God is certainly good and He is able to redeem all things. But as we follow His leading and calling into the New Normal, the way you come into this season and space has real meaning.

How we handle coming into this new season or stretch of land is likely how you we will handle all the land!

Jericho was no dress rehearsal… it was no simulation of things to come. If they got it wrong, they could not reset the simulator until they got it right.

That is why it was so important to stay the course. That is why it was so important to let praise lead the way. And that is why it was so important to continue in victory by giving ALL of the firsts back to the Lord.

it set a president… it established a pattern… and in this case… one man’s selfish impulse cost them dearly.

And as we consider this story today, it might seem easy to condemn a person who placed his felt needs over obeying the word of the Lord… yet… many people struggle with this issue to this day.

Does God truly Come First?

As you consider this question, I want you to consider this statement. The first part of all God gives us should be given back to Him.

Seems like a simple concept and a doable concept… until our own understanding begins to creep in.

Achan withheld some of the plunder of Jericho for himself. The Bible tells us he took:

A beautiful robe from Babylonia

Two hundred shekels of silver

A wedge of gold that weighed 50 shekels

His reasoning for taking them was given in Joshua 7:21. He coveted them and hid them in the ground in his tent. Achan didn’t think anyone would notice his action. Achan had no idea his actions would lead to a future defeat. Achan’s self got in the way of following God’s command.

And if we’re honest today… this has happened to all of us. Our self has a tendency of getting in the way of what God has instructed us to do.

Achan may have had the mind of a pragmatist. A pragmatist is someone who is guided more by practical considerations than ideals.

He knew the command of God… but how could he know what challenges might lie ahead? Was there anything wrong with getting while the getting was good? Achan wanted those items in HIS storehouse. He desired to be in control of his financial future. So instead of giving what belonged to the Lord, he held on a retained for himself.

This course of action seemed practical. It made logical sense. The what ifs had played through his mind and besides… he wanted this increase! Didn’t he deserve it? Didn’t they march around a city and do all God had commanded? Wasn’t it time for Achan to receive a piece of the plunder?

I get it… our self might feel more comfortable when we retain control over our increase. But the moment we turn our back on placing God first is the moment WE CHOOSE to walk out from under His blessing.

And this brings us to the next statement for consideration: What we do with the first part determines what happens with the rest.

When we honor God by giving our firsts… It opens the doors for God to bless the rest. But when we withhold and take matters into our own hands, it places God in second place as our self takes the driver’s seat.

Now I imagine we have some in this place that are accomplished financial managers. I realize there are a lot of different things we can do with our increase that in turn will give us additional increase. But nothing compares to what can happen when we honor God with our firsts!

Proverbs 3:9–10 NIV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Malachi 3:10–11 NIV

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.

I don’t want you to take my word for it… I want you to take God’s Word for it.

God blesses our faithfulness and obedience as we give according to His instruction.

What God asks us to do often doesn’t make sense at the time. But that is why ultimately we cannot and should not trust our sense of the situation. It is simply up to us to take Him at His Word.

Achan did not see the harm in hiding what belonged to God in his tent… until the fighting group returned and the damage was done.

Achan justified his action in his mind and if we are not careful… we might find ourselves doing that same thing.

A person can always justify holding on to the money. A person can always justify why they need the money more than God does or more than the poor does.

We can always come up with a perfectly good reason why this rule of firsts should not apply to us! And this is where our limited human thinking can get us instead of the kind of abundance thinking that God calls for.

So let’s go back to the question that I asked a moment ago… Does God truly come first?

God isn’t so much interested in your money as He is interested in your obedience and heart. Israel was to honor God by giving Him their first increase in the new normal… the increase that was given to them by the hand of God!

I pray that in the excitement of victory we never lose sight of who it was that gave us that victory. As stated before, Our God is WORTHY of our firsts!

Choosing to take this step of faith truly places God first in the area of giving. This goes far beyond just our finances. God deserves our firsts regarding time, talent, etc.

God is worthy of coming first in every area of our lives.

When He comes first… it opens the door for God to bless the rest.

Application

Perhaps the greatest thing we can remember regarding how and what we give to God is this: our giving is an act of worship.

When it comes to worship, God is not looking for what might be left over… God desires… and deserves our very best.

There are a lot of things out there that are demanding of our time, money, and attention… but there is nothing or no one more worthy than God.

Our generosity in giving truly shows who or what is in control of our heart. What and how we give also determines what we will receive.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 NIV

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

We understand the concept of reaping and sowing. We understand that there is no reaping if there is no sowing. We understand that according to Scripture, we are to sow generously as God loves a cheerful giver. And as we give, God WILL bless your faithfulness.

2 Corinthians 9:10–12 NIV

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Now I’m not one for the prosperity preaching but this truth cannot be ignored. God WILL bless those who bless others. HOW THAT BLESSING COMES IS UP TO THE LORD.

I have NEVER regretted being generous in my giving.

I have regretted being greedy in my keeping.

Generous giving is a way in which we worship the Lord and it also opens the doors for others to offer overflowing expressions of thanks to Him. In all ways… GOD RECEIVES THE GLORY.

And God is deserving of the glory. May we NEVER forget that God Himself… gave His one and only… His first to us.

Jesus was given out of God’s love for us. His life was laid down that our sins might be forgiven.

Jesus paid the ultimate price… gave all He could possibly give… and we get to enjoy the blessing that came with His giving.

Our mindset would have said, “The world does not deserve such generosity. I’m not giving my Son for the sake of a world full of sinners.”

But God’s mind had already been made up. God’s love saw a broken world… that could only be made whole through the life of His Son.

God gave it all. How much are we willing to give?

Closing

Achan lost sight of the One who had given Israel the increase. Achan’s eyes were turned inward by greed and entitlement. His sin came at great cost.

His sin ended up impacting the forward trajectory of the entire camp… When we withhold in our giving, we not only walk out from under God’s blessing, but we also impact the bigger picture.

As we give… we are investing back into the ministries that are making disciples and teaching the Word.

We prayed this last Sunday night for God to make this place a spiritual refueling station… a place people can come, be refreshed by the Word and Spirit of God, and take that transformation to their home, their family, their neighborhood, etc.

We are entering a new normal as a church. God has us in a season of transition… a season of change. He is opening doors and closing doors.

And with each step we take, we need to honor the Lord.

How we do the first… is likely how we will do what follows. WILL WE CHOOSE TO GIVE GOD OUR BEST? WILL WE CHOOSE TO KEEP GOD FIRST? Or will we give Him our leftovers? If we select option two… expect nothing but… the same. Leftovers. Expect ordinary. Expect secondary. Expect frustration.

When God comes second instead of first… we pay a price higher than we can truly imagine. We miss out on blessings we didn’t even know were coming. We operate in a limited understanding as we trust in ourselves over God.

But if we are all in on option one… It means we’re all in. It means we are ready to give God our first. NOT just income… EVERYTHING.

Expect transformations. Expect miracles. Expect renewal. Expect Breakthrough. EXPECT GOD’S BLESSING.

We will reap what we sow.

Are you willing to give? Are you willing to place God first… and trust Him to bless the rest?

Then it starts… by giving Him our hearts. It starts by consecrating ourselves… by committing to God to worship Him in our giving… and to honor Him by giving our best.

Last week, we gave a shout of praise. Today, will you join me by lifting up our hearts in worship?