WEBVTT

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Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We

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want to thank you for joining us today, and we

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hope you find today's sermon impacting as you

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listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.

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To find service times and watch messages online,

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see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,

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enjoy this week's message. Well, guys, my name

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is Pastor Scott. I'm a staff pastor here at Life

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Bible. Pastor Brad and Jenny are actually out

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of town this weekend. So you guys get me instead.

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So we're going to go after it today. I'm pretty

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excited. All right. But before we do that, can

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we just pray for Pastor Brad and Jenny? If you

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guys want to just bow your heads with me. Father,

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we are grateful, Lord, for senior pastors like

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Brad and Jenny. They are such a help. Lord, they

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give of themselves, of their time, their resource,

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their energy, Lord, consistently. And Lord, as

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they're out of town this weekend, I'm asking

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that your hand would be with them. Lord, that

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you would bless them. You would keep them. Lord,

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your face would shine upon them. Your favor would

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shine upon them. Lord, that refreshment, life,

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grace would be released on their account. And

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Lord, we are grateful as a people, Lord, that

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you've given us pastors like them. Lord, we're

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asking that your blessing would right now settle

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on them. Let the rest of God come upon their

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lives. And Lord, we thank you for greater equipping,

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greater impartation to be released over them,

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Lord, in what you're doing here in our church.

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God, we bless them. In Jesus' name. And Lord,

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we also just, I'm asking for today, Holy Spirit,

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we give you all honor in this room right now.

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We give you all honor, all glory goes to you.

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You are the one who leads us into truth. You

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reveal the heart of the Father to us. You convict

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us of sin. You convict us of righteousness. You

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convict us of judgment, Lord, that it's what

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you came to do. You are the one who comes alongside

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us. And I thank you for your presence in this

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place. And Holy Spirit, we invite you to bring

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life, conviction, and the word of Christ to every

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heart in this place today. We honor you. We welcome

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you in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Amen. Well,

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thank you, Emily, for the keys back there. All

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right, if you guys could open up your Bibles

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to Leviticus, one of the best books of the Bible,

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right? I didn't get a lot of amens on that one.

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Leviticus 23, verses 10 through 11. We're gonna

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start there today. So if you are newer to Life

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Bible, I will just give you a little bit of context

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here. We are in the middle of our kingdom generosity

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season. Every spring, we spend time talking about

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our finances and offerings, specifically the

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principle of a first fruit offering. And so pastor,

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we had actually pastor Tim Karskadden come in

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end of April and he shared on first fruits and

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talked about tithing as well, if I'm not mistaken.

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And then pastor Brad, the next weekend preached

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on First Fruits. So we're jumping back into the

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First Fruits message here. And I'm excited. I

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feel like the Lord's given me just some insight

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and some words to share with you guys today.

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And I know First Fruits personally has really

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impacted my life, engaging with the Lord. in

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this offering. And so I'm gonna share a little

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bit of that with you today. And I'm hoping that

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the Lord just begins to stir in you and you begin

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to glean what's available in Christ today. So

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let's talk. I'm gonna address a few things later

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on, but before we jump into the meat of the message

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where I'm going later, I wanna just give a little

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bit of a preface or a little bit of context as

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to what First Fruits is. How many of you have

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heard that term before, firstfruits or a firstfruits

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offering? Okay, so majority of us in this room.

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I'm just gonna bring a little bit of definition

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to it. Firstfruits was actually mentioned for

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the first time in the Old Testament. As Moses

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was writing the law, you see the mention of firstfruits

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from Exodus all the way through Deuteronomy.

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And really what it was is it was an offering

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that the nation of Israel would bring to the

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Lord every springtime. And it was actually connected

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to the feast season. So you had Passover. We've

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all probably heard of Passover. That is the Jewish

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feast actually where Jesus became the Passover

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lamb. He died on the cross. We all know that.

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Well, right after that Passover week is the feast

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of first fruits. And it happens on a Sunday,

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even in the Old Testament. It would happen the

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day after the Sabbath, which was a Saturday.

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So that's just a little bit of context as far

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as what first fruits is. It was connected to

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a feast, but it was also, it took place right

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after the feast of Passover. So what is first

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fruits? Let's read Leviticus to find out. So

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Leviticus 23, verses 10 through 11. It says this,

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it says, speak to the people of Israel and say

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to them, when you come into the land that I give

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you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring

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a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to

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the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before

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the Lord so that you may be accepted. On the

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day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave

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it. Okay, I know that's an exciting passage of

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scripture, right? But here's what I wanna do.

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I wanna just give you guys a picture of what's

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happening in this scenario. So this is our instruction

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on first fruits. For the people of Israel, first

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of all, it's important to note this was a promised

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land offering. When Leviticus was written, they

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were not in the promised land. They were actually

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in the wilderness. And so Moses is writing and...

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under the inspiration of the Lord. And notice

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he did not say, if you come into the promised

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land. So it starts off with a promise of saying,

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when you come into the promised land. In other

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words, this is a sure thing. This is going to

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happen. That was the context of even this passage.

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There was a promise that Israel would come into

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their promised land. And once they got into that

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land and they began to sow and reap, that is

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when the first fruits offering would start to

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be brought into the house of the Lord. And it

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would happen yearly in the springtime. So here's

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the picture. If you had a field in Old Testament

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Israel, let's just say this front area is my

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field. I've planted it with barley because barley

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was the first crop to actually come to fruition.

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So typically around the feast of Passover, Wheat

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wasn't even close to being ripe at that point,

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but the barley was about ripe. And so around

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when first fruits came, let's say this whole

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area was my field of barley. I would go out with

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a sickle and I would cut a portion of my field.

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I would gather all the stocks together and bind

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it up in a sheaf, which you've maybe seen pictures

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of that for wheat or barley, any type of grain

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where they bring it all together. I would then

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bring my sheaf of barley. Let's say Anthony here

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is the priest. I would bring him the sheaf. I

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also had like another offering of a lamb and

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some oil. And then Anthony would take my sheaf

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and he'd wave it before the Lord. You wanna give

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us a little wave here? There you go. A little,

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a wave offering. Now, depending on the size of

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that sheaf, I've always wondered if it's like

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a little bit or if it's like a big wave where

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he's like grabbing the whole thing. I don't know.

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But the point is, is he would wave that barley

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before the Lord, bless it and bless the person

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who brought the offering. Now, why did they do

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that? There's some significance that I wanna

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look at. The first thing that I wanna recognize

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is it was an expectation that God would bless

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the rest of their harvest that was still in the

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field. That's part of the reason. why they brought

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it to the Lord. They brought it as an offering,

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but then the priests would bless them. And notice

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it doesn't make a lot of sense to harvest barley

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or wheat before it's ripe. That doesn't make

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a lot of sense. But they did it as almost a prophetic

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act of saying, God, we're giving you the first

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of our harvest. And that 95 % or that 90 % that's

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still in the field, we're believing that you

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are going to multiply it and you're going to

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increase it above and beyond what we could imagine.

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So there was, even back then, there was an element

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of faith, but they were also required to do this

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under the law. Okay, why does this matter for

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us is the question maybe you're asking yourselves.

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As new covenant believers, well, what Israel,

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their journey into the promised land, was a type

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and shadow for us as new covenant believers.

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In other words, what Israel walked through in

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the natural, there are parallels to our lives

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following Jesus in this new covenant. And essentially

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you can look at that starting with Israel being

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enslaved in Egypt, right? They had taskmasters,

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they were in bondage. Well, guess what? Before

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we came to Christ, we were in bondage to sin.

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It talks about that in the book of Romans. We

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could not free ourselves. We could not save ourselves.

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Well, God pulled Israel out of Egypt with a mighty

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hand in the same way that he saved us through

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Jesus and through his sacrifice, right? So there's

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parallels here. Same thing with the Red Sea.

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They got out of Egypt. They went to the border

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of the Red Sea and the Lord split the sea and

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took the nation of Israel through the sea. And

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then he brought the water on the Egyptian army

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that was pursuing them. Well, that's prophetic,

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even for new covenant believers. Because guess

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what? We're called to do right after we get saved.

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Get baptized. We go into the waters of baptism.

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We come out. The bondage of sin breaks off of

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us and we actually are raised to a new life to

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follow Christ. So you look at Israel's journey

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and there's all sorts of prophetic, pictures

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toward us as those who walk in the new covenant.

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Well, when Israel entered the land of Canaan,

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they were entering the promised land. This is

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the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac,

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and Jacob that their descendants would fill the

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land. So when they went to enter into it, they

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were actually entering into promises that God

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had made their ancestors and they were entering

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into their destiny to go into a physical land.

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sow and reap and experience the blessing that

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God had for them. Well, guess what? We get to

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actually step into a, if you wanna say it's not

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a physical land, but a metaphorical promised

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land that God has for each and every one of us,

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where we're apprehending the promises of God

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in our lives according to the law of faith. You

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guys tracking with me today? Okay, so. 2 Corinthians

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1 .20 kind of talks about this. For all of the

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promises of God find their yes in Christ. That

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is why through him that we utter our amen to

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God for his glory. We love that verse, right?

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All the promises of God are yes and amen. Well,

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guess what? That verse is giving us some instruction

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that there are many promises that God has for

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us. as individuals, also as a corporate body

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and as a church. But we get to apprehend those

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promises. We get to step into those promises.

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And that's through our partnership of our life

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and faith, okay? So the first fruit offering

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represents, it actually, back then it represented

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giving God the first portion of their unripened

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harvest, believing him to increase the remaining

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grain in the field. Well, for us, first fruit

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can carry that same principle that as we bring

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a portion of our resources, as we bring a portion

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of our finances to the Lord, we're saying, God,

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we haven't seen the full measure of the harvest

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yet, but we're bringing this to you in faith,

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knowing that you're faithful and that you will

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multiply what has not come to fruition yet. Does

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that kind of make sense? How is this different

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than the tithe? The tithe is something that you

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bring to the Lord after the harvest. You've already

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brought the harvest in. And for Israel, they

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got 10 % of what was already harvested, brought

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it to the Lord. First fruits isn't like that.

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They would bring the sheaf before the harvest

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in faith, believing God to bring multiplication.

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And it's the same with us. First fruits has the

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ability to actually release multiplication in

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our lives. It also can release acceleration into

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the purposes of God and the promises of God being

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manifest in our lives. Does that kind of make

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sense? So as new covenant believers, this...

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offering actually engages our faith. And that

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is the key. It causes us to trust God for the

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fields in our life that we're believing for more.

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I hope all of you are believing for more in some

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area in your life in this season. I know I am.

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1 Corinthians 3, 9 says, for we are God's fellow

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workers. You are God's field, God's building.

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So even in the New Testament, Paul recognizes

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our lives, our individual lives, we're actually

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a field of the Lord. What does that mean? That

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means God is actually looking to cultivate the

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field of our life. He's looking to bring the

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plow to our life and begin to turn dirt over.

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He's looking to actually plant seed and he's

00:15:18.110 --> 00:15:22.000
looking for a harvest in our life. So that is

00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.059
what God is after. He's after a harvest in us.

00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:30.100
And you know, here's what I would just encourage

00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:32.679
us as we're looking at first fruits. First fruits

00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:36.519
is a way that we can partner with the Lord in

00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:40.360
that process of bringing our whole life to him.

00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.879
First fruits is a way where we say, Lord, we're

00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.080
bringing even our finances and we're saying,

00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:50.769
God, our life is your field. You wanna see it

00:15:50.769 --> 00:15:53.289
multiply. I wanna see it multiply. We're gonna

00:15:53.289 --> 00:15:55.490
partner in faith with what you're asking of us

00:15:55.490 --> 00:15:59.330
in this season. And the cool thing is I'll mention

00:15:59.330 --> 00:16:02.590
one more, just a first, I'll mention first fruits

00:16:02.590 --> 00:16:04.169
in the New Testament because it is mentioned

00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:07.990
in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 15. I don't

00:16:07.990 --> 00:16:10.269
know if you guys knew this, but Jesus is actually

00:16:10.269 --> 00:16:14.549
our first fruit offering. And we see this in

00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:17.389
1 Corinthians 15. It says, but in fact, Christ

00:16:17.389 --> 00:16:20.570
has been raised from the dead. the first fruits

00:16:20.570 --> 00:16:22.789
of those who have fallen asleep or those who

00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:28.049
have died. For as by a man came death, by a man

00:16:28.049 --> 00:16:32.309
has come also the resurrection of the dead. For

00:16:32.309 --> 00:16:38.070
as in Adam, first man, all die, so also in Christ

00:16:38.070 --> 00:16:42.649
shall all be made alive. But each in his own

00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:46.269
order, Christ the first fruits, then at his coming,

00:16:46.350 --> 00:16:49.870
those who belong to Christ. So I don't know if

00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:52.529
you guys knew this, but Jesus actually was resurrected

00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:56.289
on first fruit Sunday, right? Passover happened,

00:16:56.529 --> 00:17:00.450
the crucifixion, he was placed in the grave the

00:17:00.450 --> 00:17:04.089
day after the Sabbath on the Sunday, it was first

00:17:04.089 --> 00:17:06.269
fruits. And that's when Jesus raised from the

00:17:06.269 --> 00:17:11.369
grave. So he actually was God's first fruit offering

00:17:11.369 --> 00:17:15.309
that as he went. As he was resurrected from the

00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:18.109
dead, it prophesied to the fact that an increase

00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:21.410
of souls would follow him. And guess what? We

00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:25.609
in this room, we are the result of God's first

00:17:25.609 --> 00:17:28.789
fruit offering of Christ. Because Christ was

00:17:28.789 --> 00:17:32.589
offered, the increase has for millennium now

00:17:32.589 --> 00:17:36.170
followed Jesus in that. And now we get to bring

00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:38.890
our entire lives as a first fruit offering to

00:17:38.890 --> 00:17:42.299
the Lord himself. So here's where I wanna, I

00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:44.720
wanna address a couple questions in the limited

00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:48.099
time I have left here. And here's the first question.

00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:52.140
When we bring a first fruit offering to the Lord,

00:17:52.200 --> 00:17:56.519
what should our heart posture be? How should

00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:00.140
we posture our hearts when we bring a first fruit

00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:04.900
offering? Cheerfully, come on, yes, you are right.

00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:08.079
I'm gonna get to that later. The first posture

00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.319
of the heart that I'm gonna touch on is faith.

00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:13.400
But you're right, cheerfulness is the next part.

00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:18.980
So faith is a key aspect of us actually bringing

00:18:18.980 --> 00:18:22.920
our first fruit offering to the Lord. The Israelites

00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.380
were commanded to bring, you know this, the Israelites

00:18:26.380 --> 00:18:28.980
were commanded to bring first fruits offering.

00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:31.700
So it was actually part of the law for them.

00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:34.880
And they were justified in accordance to how

00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.940
well they kept the law, which as we know from

00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.940
scripture, didn't work out very well for them.

00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:42.759
But that is how they were justified. For us as

00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:46.059
new covenant believers, it's not like that. How

00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:48.400
many of you know, we are not justified by our

00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:51.960
adherence to the law. We're justified by faith

00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:56.140
and faith alone. Romans 5 talks about that. So

00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:59.920
for us, anything that is done outside of faith,

00:19:00.650 --> 00:19:04.769
is actually us moving into some type of law -based

00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:09.430
justification. So it is vitally important that

00:19:09.430 --> 00:19:12.529
we are living our lives from a foundation of

00:19:12.529 --> 00:19:16.910
faith. And Romans 14, 23 puts a little bit of

00:19:16.910 --> 00:19:19.990
weight on this. Paul's talking about what to

00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:22.950
eat versus what not to eat. And he says, but

00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:26.170
whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats because

00:19:26.170 --> 00:19:30.859
the eating is not from faith. For whatever does

00:19:30.859 --> 00:19:36.160
not proceed from faith is sin. That's a little

00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:39.220
bit of a scary verse, actually. I don't know

00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.420
about you guys, but again, it really highlights

00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:47.920
the importance of us in first fruits and really

00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:50.119
in everything we do in our Christian walk that

00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:54.299
we would be doing everything from a place and

00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:57.470
from a foundation of faith. And I think for first

00:19:57.470 --> 00:20:00.990
fruits, it is especially important that we operate

00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:05.369
from faith. A first fruit offering absent of

00:20:05.369 --> 00:20:09.130
faith is nothing more than a religious act. And

00:20:09.130 --> 00:20:11.309
that's a big deal for us to know. Sometimes we

00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:13.190
can get caught up in, well, this is what our

00:20:13.190 --> 00:20:16.509
church is doing. And this is, you know, my friends

00:20:16.509 --> 00:20:18.250
are doing first fruits. So I'm just going to,

00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:23.769
you know, do first fruits. Okay, it's great that

00:20:23.769 --> 00:20:27.380
you're bringing resource to the Lord. But according

00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:31.680
to scripture, we are called to actually act and

00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:34.960
give from a place of faith first. There has to

00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:39.140
be faith attached. Just like salvation. We could

00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:42.099
not be saved without faith, right? We have to

00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:44.660
believe what Jesus did and actually partner our

00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:48.160
life. With what Christ did, there's a faith that's

00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.460
attached to that. Well, it's the same with giving.

00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:53.920
We have to actually believe who God is, what

00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:57.420
he's promised and actually stand in that place.

00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:01.099
So what's the first step to seeing faith in our

00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:05.819
offerings? We have to first hear him. Romans

00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:09.160
10, 17, it says, so faith comes from hearing

00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.990
and hearing through the word of Christ. So there's

00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:18.769
a huge aspect to faith that requires us to actually

00:21:18.769 --> 00:21:22.309
discern the heart of God, especially when it

00:21:22.309 --> 00:21:26.230
comes to a first fruit offering. Where, you know,

00:21:26.250 --> 00:21:28.410
again, just like we're gonna read this passage

00:21:28.410 --> 00:21:30.690
a little bit later, but it says in 2 Corinthians

00:21:30.690 --> 00:21:34.549
9, don't do anything out of obligation. Don't

00:21:34.549 --> 00:21:36.910
give out of obligation or reluctance, but be

00:21:36.910 --> 00:21:40.069
a cheerful giver. Well, there's an aspect where

00:21:40.069 --> 00:21:42.529
we need to actually hear the Lord on what we're

00:21:42.529 --> 00:21:45.250
called to give. And we need to give from that

00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:50.230
place of faith. Hebrews 11, one says, now faith

00:21:50.230 --> 00:21:52.829
is the assurance of things hoped for. It's the

00:21:52.829 --> 00:21:56.809
conviction of things not yet seen. See, to operate

00:21:56.809 --> 00:22:01.109
in faith, we must believe God regardless of circumstance.

00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:06.660
I'm gonna say that again. We have to believe

00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:09.700
God regardless of circumstance. That is what

00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:11.920
real faith looks like. And do you wanna know

00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:16.039
what it feels like? It feels like risk. If you

00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:20.819
are actually believing God for something, it's

00:22:20.819 --> 00:22:24.480
gonna feel like risk for you to actually step

00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:28.559
out in obedience. And that really is a great

00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:30.720
definition of faith. I'll share a story with

00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:35.609
you guys. There's a young man, I will not name

00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:37.750
him, but there's a young man who goes to our

00:22:37.750 --> 00:22:40.910
church. And a couple of weeks ago, we had Pastor

00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:44.589
Tim Karskadin coming in for First Fruits. And

00:22:44.589 --> 00:22:46.190
he kind of shared on First Fruits. Do you remember

00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:49.269
that? Was anyone here? Maybe a few of you. Okay,

00:22:49.329 --> 00:22:53.009
so Pastor Tim preached on First Fruits. And in

00:22:53.009 --> 00:22:55.369
that process, he was talking about his own testimony

00:22:55.369 --> 00:23:00.009
of tithing. and how he was deep in debt. He was

00:23:00.009 --> 00:23:02.410
not in a good financial place. And that's when

00:23:02.410 --> 00:23:05.269
the Lord said, hey, you need to start tithing.

00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:08.589
And so Tim out of faith started doing it and

00:23:08.589 --> 00:23:10.869
God provided miraculously. Well, long story short,

00:23:11.009 --> 00:23:14.609
the young man in our church, he heard that testimony

00:23:14.609 --> 00:23:17.109
and he got convicted because he wasn't tithing.

00:23:17.529 --> 00:23:19.509
And he went home and he was wrestling with the

00:23:19.509 --> 00:23:21.750
Lord and he also was not in a good financial

00:23:21.750 --> 00:23:26.940
position. His rent was due that same week. And

00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:30.160
he realized if he tithed, he would be $500 short

00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:34.759
on paying rent. And so he's wrestling with the

00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:38.759
Lord on what to do. Do I respond to the conviction,

00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:43.099
give the tithe, or do I not? And he finally made

00:23:43.099 --> 00:23:45.559
the choice, I'm gonna just do it. I'm gonna step

00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:49.660
out. And so he brought the tithe. So I talked

00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:53.259
to him that week on a Tuesday. The very next

00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:58.359
day, his rent was due. And he got paid, he got

00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:00.599
his paycheck, which was double what it normally

00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:03.460
was. To this day, he doesn't know why. But his

00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:06.119
paycheck was double from his work. And in addition,

00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:09.380
he's a veteran and he spent time in the military,

00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:12.460
but he doesn't receive any benefits. He's not

00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:15.359
on disability or anything like that. And the

00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:20.000
VA randomly sent him a check in the mail that

00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:23.759
came that same day. And so he tells me this story

00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:27.900
that more than enough to cover his $500 excess

00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.759
in rent that he needed came in the exact day

00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:34.339
that he needed it. And when I think about that

00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:36.720
though, now I know I'm talking about a tithing

00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.140
testimony, we're talking about first fruits,

00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:42.440
but it's faith and it affects both. Because ultimately

00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:46.160
what this young man did is he had to make a decision,

00:24:46.299 --> 00:24:50.259
natural circumstance. was speaking to him saying,

00:24:50.420 --> 00:24:54.039
you can't do this. This is not responsible. It's

00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:57.759
not wise. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is convicting

00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:01.339
him saying, do it. Go for it. Watch what I'll

00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:04.920
do. That feels like risk. Has anyone else been

00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:07.180
there at some point in your faith walk where

00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:09.640
the Lord asked you to do something that if he

00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:12.420
did not come through, there were repercussions?

00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:16.880
That is the definition of risk. And that's what

00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:19.380
faith feels like, is it feels like you're taking

00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:22.559
a step and there's maybe nothing that's gonna

00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:24.819
actually support you when you transition your

00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:29.180
weight to that foot. And ultimately though, it's

00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:33.660
required, that type of faith is required and

00:25:33.660 --> 00:25:36.700
we're actually called to be obedient. So faith

00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:39.779
is not just feeling convicted, it's actually

00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:42.640
responding with our lives in obedience to what

00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:47.039
God is asking. So first fruits, just like anything

00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:50.839
we do in our Christian faith, requires faith

00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:54.440
in God's character, his nature, and his promises.

00:25:55.579 --> 00:26:00.099
And when we hear him, we get to hear him and

00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:02.920
then on what to give, and then we actually step

00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:06.319
out in that. And a lot of times we have to look

00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:09.740
past natural circumstances that are speaking

00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:12.539
the complete opposite to what God's asking us

00:26:12.539 --> 00:26:16.859
to do. David is a prime example of this. In Psalm

00:26:16.859 --> 00:26:21.039
27, verses 12 through 13, he says, do not turn

00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:25.099
me over to the desires of my foes. For false

00:26:25.099 --> 00:26:29.079
witnesses have risen up against me, spouting

00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:34.339
malicious accusations. Yet I remain confident

00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:38.599
of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord

00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:41.339
in the land of the living. How many of you guys

00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:44.599
know in this passage, We're used to hearing the

00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.700
last part of that verse, verse 13. I'll see the

00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:49.019
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:52.579
The context is life was really rough for him.

00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:56.500
He had people, enemies rising up on every side.

00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:59.500
There were false accusations being made about

00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:02.680
him. So in the midst of all of this turmoil that

00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:05.900
was happening in his life, David actually moved

00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:09.880
himself to a place of faith. Saying, God, I trust

00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:13.960
who you are, that in the midst of all this, I

00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:17.200
am going to see your goodness released in my

00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:19.200
life, in the land of the living, not just in

00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:22.099
eternity, but in this season of my life, I'm

00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:26.319
gonna see your goodness. And that is faith. Faith

00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:29.799
actually, faith demands that you look beyond

00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:32.579
natural circumstances and actually believe God

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:35.890
and what he's spoken. And I don't know about

00:27:35.890 --> 00:27:38.769
you guys, but when it comes to giving and first

00:27:38.769 --> 00:27:41.769
fruits, my wife and I have had the opportunity

00:27:41.769 --> 00:27:44.829
to do this a couple of years. And it has been

00:27:44.829 --> 00:27:47.690
a challenge. It has actually required us to draw

00:27:47.690 --> 00:27:50.829
deep on our faith and our trust in who God is.

00:27:51.069 --> 00:27:53.529
And I'll share a story with you because we've

00:27:53.529 --> 00:27:56.950
been married now three years soon. Our anniversary

00:27:56.950 --> 00:27:59.930
is coming up in June. We've been married three

00:27:59.930 --> 00:28:03.960
years. So 2024, two years ago, is the first time

00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.180
that we actually participated in First Fruits

00:28:07.180 --> 00:28:10.299
as a married couple. We had done it as singles

00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:13.279
and then we got to participate together. And

00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:18.019
so when we, in 2024, when that First Fruit season

00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:20.460
came around, my wife had just got pregnant with

00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:25.180
our daughter, Noah. And so we were looking at

00:28:25.180 --> 00:28:28.599
our financial situation. recognizing that our

00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:32.920
insurance was not going to cover too much of

00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:36.200
the birth. I think they were paying 60%. So in

00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:38.400
my mind, I'm like, oh no, I need to like start

00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:41.180
like getting money together ASAP. You know, like

00:28:41.180 --> 00:28:43.140
trying to figure out how we were going to pay

00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:46.940
for this child. And so we started saving and

00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:49.500
getting money together. And all of a sudden,

00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:52.359
first fruit season was upon us. So in my mind,

00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:55.930
I'm thinking, this is a great year to just. Take

00:28:55.930 --> 00:28:59.849
it easy. You know, step back a little bit. You

00:28:59.849 --> 00:29:02.809
know, we'll just do what is doable, what makes

00:29:02.809 --> 00:29:07.029
logical sense given the circumstance. And so

00:29:07.029 --> 00:29:09.009
my wife and I start praying about it and I get

00:29:09.009 --> 00:29:12.750
a number that was challenging for me personally.

00:29:13.869 --> 00:29:16.630
And what I mean by that is it would stretch my

00:29:16.630 --> 00:29:19.410
faith to give that. It was way higher than I

00:29:19.410 --> 00:29:22.089
was anticipating. And I'm like, Lord, this can't

00:29:22.089 --> 00:29:24.559
be you. And I'm like, well. maybe my wife is

00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:27.119
gonna hear a lesser number and she's the more

00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:29.900
holy one anyway. So I'm sure she'll be right.

00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:34.480
And so I get together with my wife and our numbers

00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:37.319
were different. They were very close, but they're

00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:39.180
slightly different. Hers was just a little bit

00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:43.119
below mine. And so I'm like, okay, maybe we'll

00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:45.420
at least go with hers. That's a little bit lower,

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:48.200
but we didn't feel right about going with hers

00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:50.890
or mine. We prayed about it and we're like, what

00:29:50.890 --> 00:29:53.930
are we missing? And in the midst of prayer, I

00:29:53.930 --> 00:29:56.950
hear the Lord speak loud and clear. You need

00:29:56.950 --> 00:29:59.230
to take your two numbers and add them together.

00:29:59.269 --> 00:30:01.549
That's your first fruit offering. And I'm like,

00:30:01.630 --> 00:30:05.690
no, that can't be the Lord. There's no way. There's

00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:08.329
no way. Not this year, Lord. You know the situation,

00:30:08.569 --> 00:30:11.539
not this year. And sure enough, you probably

00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:13.539
remember this Larissa, but we were praying about

00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:15.539
it and she starts weeping. She's like, that's

00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:18.119
what we're supposed to do. And I'm like, oh man.

00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:22.940
And so again, it was circumstantially, it was

00:30:22.940 --> 00:30:25.359
the worst. It felt like the worst year that we

00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:28.819
could possibly take that step of faith. And yet

00:30:28.819 --> 00:30:32.220
we watched, we brought that first fruit offering

00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:35.500
to the Lord and we watched God provide in insane

00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:39.940
ways in the next year. We had, no joke, we had

00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:44.079
thousands of dollars given to us randomly. People

00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:47.000
walking up, handing us cash, handing us checks

00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:50.779
for the baby specifically. And then in the midst

00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:55.019
of the birth and paying the hospital bills, we

00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:57.380
paid a couple hospital bills. Toward the end,

00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:00.900
we got a big bill. And I'm like, Lord, what do

00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:03.160
we do? The hospital had already given us a discount

00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:05.599
because you can apply for like financial aid.

00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:08.190
They gave us a little bit of a discount. But

00:31:08.190 --> 00:31:10.849
we get another big bill even after the discount.

00:31:10.990 --> 00:31:12.930
I'm like, what do we do? And I hear the Lord

00:31:12.930 --> 00:31:16.529
say, reapply. Reapply for financial aid. I'm

00:31:16.529 --> 00:31:19.769
like, they already like made a judgment on our

00:31:19.769 --> 00:31:22.829
case. But I reapplied and sure enough, they completely

00:31:22.829 --> 00:31:25.250
canceled out the remaining. It was thousands

00:31:25.250 --> 00:31:27.970
of dollars that we were supposed to pay. And

00:31:27.970 --> 00:31:30.910
then at the, so all of that, you watch provision.

00:31:31.009 --> 00:31:33.990
We watch provision start to come in from very

00:31:33.990 --> 00:31:37.619
unlikely sources. And then at the end of the

00:31:37.619 --> 00:31:40.740
year, I look at our finances just holistically,

00:31:40.920 --> 00:31:43.440
investments, different things where we've put

00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:47.799
our money and we were way further along than

00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:50.200
I even thought was possible. I'm a finance guy.

00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:53.079
I went to school for finance. So like money makes

00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:55.259
a lot of sense to me. Like you have inflow, you

00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:58.900
have outflow. And like, I was shocked. I don't

00:31:58.900 --> 00:32:00.759
know where the money came from. I really don't.

00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:02.700
But I looked at our accounts at the end of the

00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:05.160
year and it's like, God has absolutely blessed

00:32:05.160 --> 00:32:09.920
us. And I'm telling you, that is a lot of times

00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:13.019
how first fruits works is that God begins to

00:32:13.019 --> 00:32:15.500
speak to you and he's asking you to actually

00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:20.180
take a step of faith and lean into who he is

00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:22.900
as provider and who he is as Lord of your life.

00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:29.680
So I wanna just say this, this type of faith

00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:33.240
offering says, God, I don't see how you will

00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.440
bring increase. but I know that you're faithful,

00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:40.059
you're trustworthy, and I'm confident that if

00:32:40.059 --> 00:32:43.259
you are leading me into something, you will bring

00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:46.480
provision. That's what a first fruit offering

00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:49.779
does. That's brought from a place of faith. Okay,

00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:53.180
so we talked about faith as an important heart

00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:55.500
posture in bringing the first fruits offering.

00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:59.319
The next heart posture that's vitally important

00:32:59.319 --> 00:33:02.839
was spoken out from the back row, and that is

00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:06.359
cheerfulness. So props to you, you get some type

00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:09.119
of award. I don't know what it is, but anyway,

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:13.980
joy and cheerfulness is absolutely important.

00:33:14.279 --> 00:33:16.740
And I don't think we necessarily stress this

00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:21.460
as much as we should. But 2 Corinthians, there's

00:33:21.460 --> 00:33:23.680
an incredible passage in chapter nine, verses

00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:26.839
six through seven. It says this, it says, the

00:33:26.839 --> 00:33:29.279
point is this. Now, let me give you some context

00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:33.079
before we read it. The context to this passage

00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:35.859
of scripture is Paul is writing about generosity

00:33:35.859 --> 00:33:38.559
and he's writing to the church of Corinth about

00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:41.700
giving a gift, preparing a gift to send to the

00:33:41.700 --> 00:33:45.680
church in Jerusalem. So the context is about

00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:49.799
giving and giving to the work of the Lord. And

00:33:49.799 --> 00:33:52.920
it says, the point is this, whoever sows sparingly

00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:56.000
will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully

00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:00.289
will also reap bountifully. Each one must give

00:34:00.289 --> 00:34:05.470
as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly

00:34:05.470 --> 00:34:11.530
or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful

00:34:11.530 --> 00:34:14.329
giver. Now, Pastor Brad preached about this a

00:34:14.329 --> 00:34:15.789
couple of weeks ago. I'm not gonna spend a lot

00:34:15.789 --> 00:34:19.309
of time on it, but the Greek word for cheerful

00:34:19.309 --> 00:34:23.349
in this passage is the word hilaros. It's the...

00:34:24.619 --> 00:34:26.619
It's the root word that in the English language,

00:34:26.699 --> 00:34:29.400
we would get the word hilarious, right? And what

00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:32.380
it actually means, it means to make cheerful,

00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:36.159
joyous, and one who would be prompt to do anything.

00:34:36.860 --> 00:34:39.039
That's what that word means. Now, here's the

00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:42.440
cool thing. So that's New Testament. In the Old

00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:45.719
Testament, we get a similar command specifically

00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:48.840
regarding first fruits. And so we're gonna read

00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:51.460
that out of the message in Deuteronomy 26, 10.

00:34:52.809 --> 00:34:54.409
Normally I don't read out of the message, but

00:34:54.409 --> 00:34:56.210
this one was really good. So I just wanted to.

00:34:57.489 --> 00:35:00.750
Verse 10 and 11. And it says this, this is instruction

00:35:00.750 --> 00:35:05.309
to Israel on giving first fruit offerings. And

00:35:05.309 --> 00:35:07.489
so at the end of some instruction, it says, so

00:35:07.489 --> 00:35:09.670
here I am, I've brought the first fruits of what

00:35:09.670 --> 00:35:12.010
I've grown on this ground you gave me, oh God.

00:35:12.869 --> 00:35:15.849
Then place it in the presence of God, your God.

00:35:16.190 --> 00:35:19.630
Bow low in the presence of God, your God, and

00:35:19.630 --> 00:35:24.960
rejoice. celebrate all the good things that God,

00:35:25.019 --> 00:35:29.300
your God has given you and your family, you and

00:35:29.300 --> 00:35:31.500
the Levite and the foreigner who lives with you.

00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:37.139
So this is, I love this because it really comes

00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:41.219
at the end of, here's the nitty gritty details

00:35:41.219 --> 00:35:45.119
for you as an Old Testament Israelite on how

00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:47.320
to bring the first fruit offering, what to say,

00:35:47.460 --> 00:35:50.039
what to do. And at the very end, The Lord gives

00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:54.340
him specific instruction. He said, rejoice. Bow

00:35:54.340 --> 00:35:57.000
down before the Lord, worship him, and then stand

00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:03.139
up, rejoice, and celebrate. Why is that so important?

00:36:03.320 --> 00:36:09.300
When we actually rejoice, rejoicing at what God

00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:13.639
has done in our life in the past season, it actually

00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:18.610
causes us to remember and then recognize where

00:36:18.610 --> 00:36:22.010
God has come through for us. So the fact that

00:36:22.010 --> 00:36:25.369
rejoicing is required, it's incredible because

00:36:25.369 --> 00:36:28.630
it begins to establish faith in you. When you

00:36:28.630 --> 00:36:31.690
look back, you see what God has done in a previous

00:36:31.690 --> 00:36:35.239
season. You bring to your remembrance his faithfulness

00:36:35.239 --> 00:36:38.559
to provide, his faithfulness to multiply the

00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:42.260
fields in your life. As you actually engage with

00:36:42.260 --> 00:36:44.820
that and you look back to that and you say, Lord,

00:36:44.900 --> 00:36:48.380
thank you for this. And then throw a party and

00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:50.460
you begin to celebrate because of what God has

00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:53.380
already done. It actually positions you in a

00:36:53.380 --> 00:36:55.820
place of faith to believe God for your next season.

00:36:56.179 --> 00:37:01.070
And I think there is so much value. in joy and

00:37:01.070 --> 00:37:03.929
rejoicing, especially when it comes to bringing

00:37:03.929 --> 00:37:08.250
our first fruits to the Lord. So, and I'll say

00:37:08.250 --> 00:37:10.230
this, have you guys ever noticed that you can't

00:37:10.230 --> 00:37:15.030
fake joy? This group, not as much. First service,

00:37:15.050 --> 00:37:19.530
a lot of people agreed with that. You can't fake,

00:37:19.630 --> 00:37:22.170
you can try to slap a smile on your face for

00:37:22.170 --> 00:37:24.670
a little bit of time, but eventually if the joy

00:37:24.670 --> 00:37:29.300
is not inside of you, you are not going to Try

00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:32.920
to fake joy for very long. I'm just saying. And

00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:36.639
there's a great story here I'll share from my

00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:38.380
wife sitting on the front row. She can attest

00:37:38.380 --> 00:37:41.900
to this. But our daughter, we are right in the

00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:44.539
throes of raising a toddler right now. Maybe

00:37:44.539 --> 00:37:45.960
not the throes. We're in the beginning stages.

00:37:46.179 --> 00:37:50.260
She's like 19 months old. So when she's here

00:37:50.260 --> 00:37:52.039
at church, you guys get to see the best side

00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:54.719
of her. She's just happy. She's waving at everyone.

00:37:54.880 --> 00:37:57.519
She's saying hi. She's just like such a joy to

00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:00.340
be around. We don't always see that side of her

00:38:00.340 --> 00:38:02.940
at the house. I'm just letting you guys know.

00:38:03.440 --> 00:38:07.619
She gets in a bad mood. She gets angry. She gets

00:38:07.619 --> 00:38:11.159
sassy. She has bad attitude. She'll be crying

00:38:11.159 --> 00:38:15.300
and whining, all the stuff for a toddler. And

00:38:15.300 --> 00:38:19.219
so what happens, my wife and I, many times we

00:38:19.219 --> 00:38:21.880
will look at her when she's in one of those moods.

00:38:21.880 --> 00:38:24.280
We say, Noah, Jane, you need to change your attitude.

00:38:25.280 --> 00:38:27.659
And sometimes we'll even say, you need to smile.

00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:31.639
And it is hilarious because she will give us

00:38:31.639 --> 00:38:34.280
the fakest smile you could possibly imagine.

00:38:35.179 --> 00:38:37.940
Inside, it looks like she's travailing. Sometimes

00:38:37.940 --> 00:38:41.159
she still has tears flowing down her face. And

00:38:41.159 --> 00:38:45.820
she's like, just cheeses hard, like forces it,

00:38:45.820 --> 00:38:48.460
you know, like just, and she closes her eyes,

00:38:48.500 --> 00:38:51.420
squints her eyes and just forces a smile. And

00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:53.599
sometimes she's like in the middle of crying

00:38:53.599 --> 00:38:55.260
while she's doing this. And you're like, okay,

00:38:55.280 --> 00:38:58.139
this isn't working. We need to work on, How well

00:38:58.139 --> 00:39:02.079
you fake stuff. No, I'm just kidding. We don't

00:39:02.079 --> 00:39:05.699
need to work on that actually. But the truth

00:39:05.699 --> 00:39:08.659
is though, we do that, I think at church and

00:39:08.659 --> 00:39:11.300
we do that specifically in the context of offerings.

00:39:11.380 --> 00:39:13.480
We're like, okay, we know we should have joy.

00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:16.760
It's a third of the kingdom, right? Kingdom of

00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:18.320
God is not eat and drink, but righteousness,

00:39:18.500 --> 00:39:21.280
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We know it's

00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:25.179
important, but sometimes we fail to actually

00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:29.019
bring it into our heart and let it abound from

00:39:29.019 --> 00:39:33.980
there, right? Jesus even said, out of the abundance

00:39:33.980 --> 00:39:37.199
of the heart, the mouth speaks. I would take

00:39:37.199 --> 00:39:39.300
that maybe even a little bit further that what's

00:39:39.300 --> 00:39:42.039
in your heart doesn't just affect what you say,

00:39:42.119 --> 00:39:46.179
it affects how you live. It really does. And

00:39:46.179 --> 00:39:49.820
anyway, so what do you do then if you're like

00:39:49.820 --> 00:39:53.480
my daughter and you can't fake the joy? You shouldn't

00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:55.679
fake joy, but I'm saying, how do you actually

00:39:55.679 --> 00:39:58.340
address that? If you're not experiencing joy

00:39:58.340 --> 00:40:01.039
or if there's apprehension, even in bringing

00:40:01.039 --> 00:40:03.920
a gift to the Lord and in submitting your finances

00:40:03.920 --> 00:40:07.360
to the Lord, how do you actually begin to grow

00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:12.719
in joy? Ultimately, it takes your partnership,

00:40:12.719 --> 00:40:15.460
but it also takes the work of the Holy Spirit

00:40:15.460 --> 00:40:20.179
in your heart. Cheerfulness and joy come from

00:40:20.179 --> 00:40:23.349
the heart. And I'll just say this, I think it's

00:40:23.349 --> 00:40:26.969
significant that in 2 Corinthians 9, it says,

00:40:27.010 --> 00:40:31.869
only give what you have decided in your heart,

00:40:31.929 --> 00:40:35.130
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God

00:40:35.130 --> 00:40:38.750
loves a cheerful giver. To even see the heart

00:40:38.750 --> 00:40:43.050
posture is connected to the cheerfulness. It

00:40:43.050 --> 00:40:45.829
really is. So what do we do? We have to allow

00:40:45.829 --> 00:40:48.510
the Holy Spirit to begin to cultivate our hearts.

00:40:49.150 --> 00:40:50.869
You guys know what I mean when I say cultivate.

00:40:52.110 --> 00:40:55.170
If you, we live in a farming community. So come

00:40:55.170 --> 00:40:57.590
end of August, you're gonna see lots of cultivation

00:40:57.590 --> 00:41:00.210
in all the fields around us and many dust clouds

00:41:00.210 --> 00:41:04.510
rising up to heaven. But essentially when you

00:41:04.510 --> 00:41:08.789
go to cultivate ground, you are taking a plow

00:41:08.789 --> 00:41:11.750
or you're taking something sharp and you're turning

00:41:11.750 --> 00:41:15.929
over dirt that has been fallow or sitting there

00:41:15.929 --> 00:41:19.199
potentially for a year or more. Right, and so

00:41:19.199 --> 00:41:24.340
when we are looking to actually grow in joy in

00:41:24.340 --> 00:41:26.820
our heart, we have to invite the Holy Spirit's

00:41:26.820 --> 00:41:29.760
plow to come and turn over hard areas of our

00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:33.219
heart that have maybe, maybe we've said, you

00:41:33.219 --> 00:41:37.320
know what? I don't wanna bring an offering. I

00:41:37.320 --> 00:41:39.539
don't, it doesn't feel good. I don't wanna submit

00:41:39.539 --> 00:41:42.940
that part to the Lord of my life. Well, you need

00:41:42.940 --> 00:41:44.579
to probably invite the Holy Spirit into that

00:41:44.579 --> 00:41:48.659
area and say, God, how can this shift? How can

00:41:48.659 --> 00:41:51.420
this hardened area of my heart begin to shift?

00:41:51.679 --> 00:41:54.559
And as you don't just do it in your own strength

00:41:54.559 --> 00:41:56.579
where you're like, I'm gonna be joyful. I'm gonna

00:41:56.579 --> 00:41:59.420
change my heart. No, you actually just partner

00:41:59.420 --> 00:42:03.300
with the grace of Christ and the power of the

00:42:03.300 --> 00:42:05.420
Holy Spirit. And he is the one that ultimately

00:42:05.420 --> 00:42:08.420
will bring the breakthrough in your heart. But

00:42:08.420 --> 00:42:12.760
we do have to partner with him and invite his

00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:16.539
change. Does that make sense? I'm just warning

00:42:16.539 --> 00:42:23.550
you, that's not, Always an easy process. I don't

00:42:23.550 --> 00:42:25.030
know if I have time for this. I'll just share

00:42:25.030 --> 00:42:30.130
it really quick. This is years ago. I think I

00:42:30.130 --> 00:42:34.489
was 13, maybe 14 years old. And my mom and I

00:42:34.489 --> 00:42:36.969
would always garden in this one area behind our

00:42:36.969 --> 00:42:38.769
lawn. Well, one year my mom's like, hey, we're

00:42:38.769 --> 00:42:40.349
gonna expand the garden. We're gonna make it

00:42:40.349 --> 00:42:44.969
bigger. It was my job to get grandpa's rototiller

00:42:44.969 --> 00:42:47.389
and bring it down and rototill this new stretch

00:42:47.389 --> 00:42:50.010
of ground that I don't know if it had ever been

00:42:50.010 --> 00:42:52.030
worked, to be honest, maybe once a long time

00:42:52.030 --> 00:42:54.909
ago. And I'm telling you, my little 13 -year

00:42:54.909 --> 00:42:59.309
-old self, and I weighed way less as a 13 -year

00:42:59.309 --> 00:43:02.090
-old, and I was way shorter. I was out there

00:43:02.090 --> 00:43:06.090
with this rototiller, and those arms were spinning,

00:43:06.269 --> 00:43:09.090
hitting hard ground, and that thing was just...

00:43:09.260 --> 00:43:12.400
bouncing up and down, left and right. I was sweating

00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:16.480
profusely. It took me forever. It was a task.

00:43:17.280 --> 00:43:19.400
So I'm telling you that not to discourage you,

00:43:19.460 --> 00:43:22.139
but I am saying there's an element of where stuff

00:43:22.139 --> 00:43:25.760
is lying fallow in your heart and you haven't

00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:28.400
surrendered it fully to the Lord. There could

00:43:28.400 --> 00:43:31.639
be areas of your heart that need consistent working

00:43:31.639 --> 00:43:34.519
from the Holy Spirit to come in with his grace.

00:43:35.119 --> 00:43:38.099
with his love and begin to turn over some of

00:43:38.099 --> 00:43:40.820
those areas of your heart so that it can actually

00:43:40.820 --> 00:43:44.940
receive seed and yield a harvest. Amen? Okay.

00:43:46.000 --> 00:43:49.559
So I'm gonna, in the last little bit here, I

00:43:49.559 --> 00:43:54.519
wanna talk about multiplication because ultimately

00:43:54.519 --> 00:43:59.880
what should we expect when we bring a first fruits

00:43:59.880 --> 00:44:03.230
offering to the Lord? I'm gonna say something.

00:44:03.409 --> 00:44:07.289
You should expect multiplication in your life.

00:44:08.849 --> 00:44:14.389
I'm gonna share a story. This is from years ago

00:44:14.389 --> 00:44:17.710
and it's possible I've shared this at some point.

00:44:17.750 --> 00:44:19.710
So if you've heard it, then great, you get to

00:44:19.710 --> 00:44:22.610
hear it twice. But this story actually really

00:44:22.610 --> 00:44:25.610
marked me when I was in ministry school where

00:44:25.610 --> 00:44:28.789
the Lord began to practically teach me on the

00:44:28.789 --> 00:44:31.800
principles of sowing and reaping. And so this

00:44:31.800 --> 00:44:34.380
is many years ago, it was probably close to a

00:44:34.380 --> 00:44:38.119
decade, maybe 2016 or 17. I was going to ministry

00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:41.900
school and I was working a minimum wage job part

00:44:41.900 --> 00:44:44.500
-time, making very little money, had very little

00:44:44.500 --> 00:44:48.159
excess at all. And I had over the course of like

00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:52.179
a year plus saved a little bit in my savings

00:44:52.179 --> 00:44:54.380
account. Well, my friend decided to get married

00:44:54.380 --> 00:44:57.760
in Kentucky. And so I had to get a flight to

00:44:57.760 --> 00:44:59.860
go over there for his wedding. So I came back

00:44:59.860 --> 00:45:02.300
after spending a bunch of money. My savings were

00:45:02.300 --> 00:45:04.960
like very much depleted. I was way over budget

00:45:04.960 --> 00:45:06.539
for the month. And I'm like, okay, I just need

00:45:06.539 --> 00:45:09.719
to like calm down, sit down and wait for the

00:45:09.719 --> 00:45:11.659
next paycheck to come and start working again.

00:45:12.119 --> 00:45:14.219
And in the midst of that, I was in my prayer

00:45:14.219 --> 00:45:16.539
closet and the Lord spoke to me and he said,

00:45:16.559 --> 00:45:19.579
Scott, he brought up a missionary at my church,

00:45:19.800 --> 00:45:22.039
clear his day in my mind. And he said, I want

00:45:22.039 --> 00:45:25.090
you to give $200 to that missionary. Now, again,

00:45:25.269 --> 00:45:30.429
$200 isn't a huge amount in today's world. But

00:45:30.429 --> 00:45:33.170
for me at the time, that was astronomically high.

00:45:33.809 --> 00:45:36.349
I mean, and I just didn't have a lot. I wasn't

00:45:36.349 --> 00:45:38.909
making a lot. And so I wrestled with the Lord.

00:45:38.969 --> 00:45:41.150
I'm like, Lord, this is not wise. This is not

00:45:41.150 --> 00:45:42.909
smart. You're the one who told me to budget.

00:45:43.050 --> 00:45:45.670
I'm trying to do the right thing. I've made all

00:45:45.670 --> 00:45:50.809
the excuses of why I shouldn't have to give this

00:45:50.809 --> 00:45:54.400
$200 to this missionary. And at the end of my

00:45:54.400 --> 00:45:57.699
20 minute tirade in my prayer closet, the Lord

00:45:57.699 --> 00:46:00.800
was just silent and I realized like, okay, I

00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:02.960
guess I'm gonna give the $200 to the missionary.

00:46:03.400 --> 00:46:07.579
And so I got on the church's website and I gave

00:46:07.579 --> 00:46:10.219
the money to the missionary. Didn't think a thing

00:46:10.219 --> 00:46:13.159
of it. Well, two or three weeks later, I was

00:46:13.159 --> 00:46:17.539
at a church event with my friend and we had just

00:46:17.539 --> 00:46:20.639
walked into kind of the main area of this building.

00:46:21.320 --> 00:46:23.400
And there was a lady there that we met who was

00:46:23.400 --> 00:46:26.539
visiting our church from a different place. She

00:46:26.539 --> 00:46:29.340
had a 14 -year -old son with her. And so we were

00:46:29.340 --> 00:46:32.019
talking to her and we ended up just praying for

00:46:32.019 --> 00:46:33.280
her. She was going through some things in her

00:46:33.280 --> 00:46:35.480
life. We prayed for her, a short prayer. And

00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:38.000
then we just said, okay, have a good one. And

00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:41.179
we left. Five minutes later, her 14 -year -old

00:46:41.179 --> 00:46:45.500
son walked over to us and he had a check. He

00:46:45.500 --> 00:46:47.360
handed me a check and he handed my friend a check.

00:46:47.539 --> 00:46:49.960
And I looked down and it was a check for $1 ,000.

00:46:50.860 --> 00:46:53.239
from a complete stranger that I had just met.

00:46:53.360 --> 00:46:56.119
And the son said to me, he said, my mom just

00:46:56.119 --> 00:46:58.099
felt like she was supposed to give this to you.

00:46:58.699 --> 00:47:00.900
She didn't even know my name. She left that part

00:47:00.900 --> 00:47:02.599
blank on the check. She said, you can just fill

00:47:02.599 --> 00:47:06.340
in your name. But it hit me. I was driving home

00:47:06.340 --> 00:47:10.960
in my truck and I'm looking at this check for

00:47:10.960 --> 00:47:14.119
$1 ,000. And I asked the Lord a question. I said,

00:47:14.179 --> 00:47:17.619
Lord, what was that? Like, what just happened?

00:47:18.170 --> 00:47:20.329
And clear as day, I heard the Lord say to me,

00:47:20.409 --> 00:47:24.150
you sowed in faith, you need to expect to reap.

00:47:25.989 --> 00:47:28.369
And I was, I'm just telling you, I was almost

00:47:28.369 --> 00:47:32.170
offended. I'm like, that almost feels like, you

00:47:32.170 --> 00:47:34.389
know, they talk about the prosperity gospel.

00:47:34.469 --> 00:47:35.849
That kind of feels like that. Like, what do you

00:47:35.849 --> 00:47:38.409
mean I'm supposed to expect to receive? Like

00:47:38.409 --> 00:47:44.230
respect to receive a harvest. I was struggling

00:47:44.230 --> 00:47:48.019
with it. And the Lord took me to, 2 Corinthians

00:47:48.019 --> 00:47:50.539
9, verses 10 through 11. I'm gonna read that

00:47:50.539 --> 00:47:54.619
for us. It says, he who supplies seed to the

00:47:54.619 --> 00:48:00.579
sower and bread for food will supply and multiply

00:48:00.579 --> 00:48:05.360
your seed for sowing and increase the harvest

00:48:05.360 --> 00:48:09.699
of your righteousness. You will be enriched in

00:48:09.699 --> 00:48:14.239
every way to be generous in every way. which

00:48:14.239 --> 00:48:16.579
through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

00:48:17.019 --> 00:48:19.099
So here's, I wanna spend a little bit of time

00:48:19.099 --> 00:48:24.699
on this. Multiplication, the principle of multiplication,

00:48:24.739 --> 00:48:28.179
it starts when we recognize God as our provider.

00:48:28.960 --> 00:48:32.139
And that's made clear even in this passage where

00:48:32.139 --> 00:48:37.460
it says God will provide seed for the sower and

00:48:37.460 --> 00:48:40.539
bread for food. What does that denote? That denotes

00:48:40.539 --> 00:48:45.730
present provision. and future provision. As we're

00:48:45.730 --> 00:48:49.210
faithful, when God asks us to give or leads us

00:48:49.210 --> 00:48:54.010
to give in faith, we have to know that all provision

00:48:54.010 --> 00:48:58.590
comes from him. You might be a really hard worker.

00:48:58.750 --> 00:49:01.889
You might work multiple jobs and your bosses

00:49:01.889 --> 00:49:05.309
might love you. The truth is provision does not

00:49:05.309 --> 00:49:07.710
come from your boss. Provision comes from the

00:49:07.710 --> 00:49:10.840
Lord. And Deuteronomy 8 talks about that. I'm

00:49:10.840 --> 00:49:12.619
not gonna quote it perfectly, but I think it's

00:49:12.619 --> 00:49:15.980
verse 17. It says, do not let a wicked thought

00:49:15.980 --> 00:49:21.360
in your heart arise that says it's by my power

00:49:21.360 --> 00:49:24.059
and my strength that I've created this wealth.

00:49:24.340 --> 00:49:27.079
Then the very next verse makes a statement. It

00:49:27.079 --> 00:49:32.320
says that God gives us the power to create wealth.

00:49:33.079 --> 00:49:36.280
That's the summary of that passage. But the point

00:49:36.280 --> 00:49:39.559
is, You could be a great worker, but you have

00:49:39.559 --> 00:49:42.739
to recognize that provision comes ultimately

00:49:42.739 --> 00:49:46.659
from God. That is where our provision comes from.

00:49:47.659 --> 00:49:51.099
So one thing to note from this passage in 2 Corinthians

00:49:51.099 --> 00:49:55.900
is that multiplication, the principle of multiplication,

00:49:55.980 --> 00:49:59.880
it is not designed to keep you fat and happy.

00:50:00.179 --> 00:50:04.119
That is not why God multiplies harvest in our

00:50:04.119 --> 00:50:07.480
life. And sometimes it gets preached that way.

00:50:07.559 --> 00:50:10.880
That's not truth. If you look in the scripture,

00:50:11.039 --> 00:50:14.920
it actually makes it very clear why we get enriched

00:50:14.920 --> 00:50:17.280
in every way. It says you are enriched in every

00:50:17.280 --> 00:50:24.699
way to be generous in every way. So that really

00:50:24.699 --> 00:50:28.460
is greater generosity is the end goal of God.

00:50:28.900 --> 00:50:32.719
That is what he is looking to do in our lives

00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:36.519
as he leads us in faith. to take steps of faith

00:50:36.519 --> 00:50:40.079
in giving, his goal as he multiplies harvest

00:50:40.079 --> 00:50:42.579
in our life is actually so that we would grow

00:50:42.579 --> 00:50:46.079
in our generosity. And you know what's amazing

00:50:46.079 --> 00:50:51.099
is God is the most generous being out there.

00:50:51.739 --> 00:50:55.179
There is no human that can compare to God's generosity.

00:50:55.219 --> 00:50:58.059
We know that from John 3, 16. God so loved the

00:50:58.059 --> 00:51:01.980
world that he gave. He gave his only son, the

00:51:01.980 --> 00:51:06.739
thing that had the most value to him. He gave

00:51:06.739 --> 00:51:10.039
Jesus to us because he loved us. Well, guess

00:51:10.039 --> 00:51:13.519
what? We are to be conformed to the image of

00:51:13.519 --> 00:51:16.260
Christ. Romans 8, 29 talks about that, that day

00:51:16.260 --> 00:51:19.300
by day, we are those that have been predestined

00:51:19.300 --> 00:51:22.179
that he is actually conforming us to the image

00:51:22.179 --> 00:51:26.360
of his son. So every day we should be looking

00:51:26.360 --> 00:51:29.360
a little bit more and more like God. a little

00:51:29.360 --> 00:51:32.739
more and more like Jesus himself. And that is

00:51:32.739 --> 00:51:36.659
God's heart is that just as he's generous, we're

00:51:36.659 --> 00:51:39.840
called to walk in that same generosity. Does

00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:49.599
that make sense? Okay. That's my cue. Okay, I'm

00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:51.940
gonna keep going for a little bit here. I won't

00:51:51.940 --> 00:51:56.250
keep you guys too long, I promise. 2 Corinthians

00:51:56.250 --> 00:52:00.250
9, verse six, it says, the point is this, whoever

00:52:00.250 --> 00:52:05.650
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever

00:52:05.650 --> 00:52:09.170
sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

00:52:09.829 --> 00:52:13.110
See, in this passage, the Holy Spirit is using

00:52:13.110 --> 00:52:17.329
a natural law to explain a spiritual reality.

00:52:17.889 --> 00:52:20.809
And we understand that if a farmer goes out to

00:52:20.809 --> 00:52:24.610
a one acre patch of land, and he throws a handful

00:52:24.610 --> 00:52:28.349
of corn seed, he will harvest something from

00:52:28.349 --> 00:52:32.949
that corn, but it will be vastly smaller than

00:52:32.949 --> 00:52:35.110
if he took a hundred pounds of corn seed and

00:52:35.110 --> 00:52:37.789
he maximized every square foot of that ground.

00:52:38.329 --> 00:52:41.610
We understand that. Well, it's the harvest reaped

00:52:41.610 --> 00:52:48.059
is directly correlated to what was sown. So this

00:52:48.059 --> 00:52:50.820
natural principle is correlated to faith. The

00:52:50.820 --> 00:52:54.000
only reason a farmer would not sow bountifully

00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:58.460
is if he didn't actually believe that the conditions

00:52:58.460 --> 00:53:01.780
were good for a harvest, that it wasn't gonna

00:53:01.780 --> 00:53:03.500
rain at the right time or the sun wasn't gonna

00:53:03.500 --> 00:53:05.960
shine at the right time or the corn wouldn't

00:53:05.960 --> 00:53:07.780
pollinate. That would be the only reason a farmer

00:53:07.780 --> 00:53:13.170
wouldn't sow bountifully, right? And so... Likewise,

00:53:13.190 --> 00:53:16.670
we must expect that as we sow our first fruits

00:53:16.670 --> 00:53:20.010
in faith, God will do as he said, and he will

00:53:20.010 --> 00:53:23.170
multiply a harvest of righteousness in our life.

00:53:24.309 --> 00:53:27.389
And I want you guys to understand this is not

00:53:27.389 --> 00:53:32.059
just in terms of finances. It might be, you might

00:53:32.059 --> 00:53:34.860
receive a harvest of finances and that's fantastic,

00:53:34.880 --> 00:53:37.820
but there might be other areas of your life,

00:53:37.880 --> 00:53:40.920
other fields, so to speak, that God's cultivating,

00:53:40.920 --> 00:53:44.840
that he's looking for a harvest. And maybe it's

00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:47.739
finances this year, but maybe it's not. Maybe

00:53:47.739 --> 00:53:50.820
it has to do with your family. Maybe it has to

00:53:50.820 --> 00:53:52.659
do with your workplace or your business, things

00:53:52.659 --> 00:53:54.559
that you're believing God for, you're looking

00:53:54.559 --> 00:53:57.960
to be grown into. That can be the areas where

00:53:57.960 --> 00:54:00.920
God actually multiplies a harvest of righteousness.

00:54:01.699 --> 00:54:07.400
Does that make sense? So I've got 10 minutes

00:54:07.400 --> 00:54:10.079
here. So I'm gonna read one last passage and

00:54:10.079 --> 00:54:14.039
then we're gonna close. John 6, verses four through

00:54:14.039 --> 00:54:19.219
three. It says this. This is a longer passage,

00:54:19.300 --> 00:54:21.940
guys, so bear with me. This is the story of the

00:54:21.940 --> 00:54:25.239
feeding of the 5 ,000 where Jesus multiplied

00:54:25.239 --> 00:54:29.000
bread. And it says, now the Passover, the feast

00:54:29.000 --> 00:54:32.940
of the Jews was near. Then Jesus lifted up his

00:54:32.940 --> 00:54:35.820
eyes and seen a great multitude coming toward

00:54:35.820 --> 00:54:39.840
him. He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread

00:54:39.840 --> 00:54:43.780
that these would eat? But this he said to test

00:54:43.780 --> 00:54:47.559
him for he himself knew what he would do. Philip,

00:54:47.639 --> 00:54:51.619
I'm gonna add this, failed the test. He answered

00:54:51.619 --> 00:54:55.239
him. He said, 200 denarii worth of bread is not

00:54:55.239 --> 00:54:59.760
sufficient for them. That everyone might have

00:54:59.760 --> 00:55:02.920
just a little. One of his disciples, Andrew,

00:55:03.119 --> 00:55:05.679
Simon Peter's brother said to him, there's a

00:55:05.679 --> 00:55:08.360
lad here who has five barley loaves and two small

00:55:08.360 --> 00:55:13.380
fish. But what are they among so many? Then Jesus

00:55:13.380 --> 00:55:16.360
said, make the people sit down. Now there is

00:55:16.360 --> 00:55:18.940
much grass in the place. So the men sat down

00:55:18.940 --> 00:55:22.039
and the men alone in number were about 5 ,000,

00:55:22.059 --> 00:55:25.360
which means most commentators believe there are

00:55:25.360 --> 00:55:29.320
likely 25 to 30 ,000 people there. So just think

00:55:29.320 --> 00:55:33.199
of Autzen Stadium in Eugene divided by two, about

00:55:33.199 --> 00:55:36.000
half of Autzen. That's how many people were at

00:55:36.000 --> 00:55:40.800
this time with Jesus. Okay, Jesus took the loaves

00:55:40.800 --> 00:55:42.559
and when he had given thanks, he distributed

00:55:42.559 --> 00:55:46.050
them to his disciples. the disciples to those

00:55:46.050 --> 00:55:48.590
sitting down and likewise of the fish as much

00:55:48.590 --> 00:55:52.329
as they wanted. So when they were filled, he

00:55:52.329 --> 00:55:54.750
said to his disciples, gather up the fragments

00:55:54.750 --> 00:56:00.250
that remain that nothing is lost. I'm gonna say

00:56:00.250 --> 00:56:04.130
this as we close. This story is an incredible

00:56:04.130 --> 00:56:08.849
story about the multiplication power of God.

00:56:10.289 --> 00:56:14.090
But I'm gonna tie it to first fruits. Because

00:56:14.090 --> 00:56:16.170
this little, I wanna just go back to the little

00:56:16.170 --> 00:56:19.369
boy. You have a little boy that actually brought

00:56:19.369 --> 00:56:25.630
five barley loaves and two fish. You gotta think

00:56:25.630 --> 00:56:28.070
for a minute. We talked about Old Testament first

00:56:28.070 --> 00:56:30.829
fruits at the beginning of this time, right?

00:56:30.909 --> 00:56:34.090
Where barley was typically what was brought on

00:56:34.090 --> 00:56:38.150
first fruit Sunday to the priest. So here you

00:56:38.150 --> 00:56:41.099
have. In the New Testament, you've got this little

00:56:41.099 --> 00:56:44.800
boy who brings not wheat loaves, he brings barley.

00:56:45.860 --> 00:56:49.940
And not only that, it was in the season of Passover.

00:56:49.960 --> 00:56:52.480
It says that in verse four, that Passover was

00:56:52.480 --> 00:56:55.760
at hand or Passover was near. In other words,

00:56:55.820 --> 00:56:58.920
it was right, Passover happens, four days after

00:56:58.920 --> 00:57:02.340
Passover, you have first fruits. So within a

00:57:02.340 --> 00:57:07.909
week of... This situation, First Fruit Sunday

00:57:07.909 --> 00:57:11.150
was likely right around the corner. So this boy

00:57:11.150 --> 00:57:14.190
in the middle of First Fruit season brings his

00:57:14.190 --> 00:57:18.030
five barley loaves to Jesus, the high priest

00:57:18.030 --> 00:57:21.190
of our confession. And what does Jesus do? He

00:57:21.190 --> 00:57:25.010
takes those loaves. I don't think he waved them,

00:57:25.130 --> 00:57:29.989
but he blessed them. He broke them. And as that

00:57:29.989 --> 00:57:33.150
boy brought an offering of faith to the Lord,

00:57:34.639 --> 00:57:39.739
Jesus released miraculous provision that fed

00:57:39.739 --> 00:57:43.019
close to 30 ,000 people from one young boy's

00:57:43.019 --> 00:57:50.079
lunch. Now, this is a powerful testimony, I believe,

00:57:50.119 --> 00:57:53.880
of even what God can do with a very meager first

00:57:53.880 --> 00:57:55.719
fruits offering that's brought in obedience.

00:57:57.340 --> 00:58:02.480
He has the power to multiply. He has the power

00:58:02.480 --> 00:58:05.860
to release provision where you could not imagine

00:58:05.860 --> 00:58:08.960
provision coming from. Blessing where you cannot

00:58:08.960 --> 00:58:12.599
imagine blessing coming from. But that provision,

00:58:12.800 --> 00:58:16.599
that multiplication isn't released until it's

00:58:16.599 --> 00:58:20.199
brought to Jesus, the high priest of our confession.

00:58:21.920 --> 00:58:25.099
And you know, I'm gonna say this, Jesus multiplied

00:58:25.099 --> 00:58:29.280
that food. The little boy, he ate his fill with

00:58:29.280 --> 00:58:31.809
everyone else. And chances are he probably took

00:58:31.809 --> 00:58:35.409
some leftovers home to the fam. But bigger than

00:58:35.409 --> 00:58:39.030
that, his decision and his offering actually

00:58:39.030 --> 00:58:42.730
brought provision to thousands and thousands

00:58:42.730 --> 00:58:45.730
of people and became a legacy that we're still

00:58:45.730 --> 00:58:48.550
talking about and preaching about thousands of

00:58:48.550 --> 00:58:52.210
years later. Because of his obedience to bring

00:58:52.210 --> 00:58:55.989
a first fruits offering in faith. And before

00:58:55.989 --> 00:58:59.400
we close, I wanna just give. I wanna encourage

00:58:59.400 --> 00:59:06.039
us in one more area from this passage. Jesus

00:59:06.039 --> 00:59:10.260
was very intentional at the end of this passage

00:59:10.260 --> 00:59:15.579
where he says, gather up the fragments. Gather

00:59:15.579 --> 00:59:19.159
up the fragments and make sure that nothing is

00:59:19.159 --> 00:59:24.320
lost. What did Jesus mean by that? I don't know

00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:26.539
about you, I've never really thought about it

00:59:26.539 --> 00:59:30.219
much until recently. But I think the fragments

00:59:30.219 --> 00:59:34.300
is actually an important facet of how God brings

00:59:34.300 --> 00:59:37.400
multiplication into our life. Because when you

00:59:37.400 --> 00:59:39.460
look at this, he was very intentional. The 25

00:59:39.460 --> 00:59:43.119
,000 or so had eaten. They had all got up and

00:59:43.119 --> 00:59:46.400
they'd left. So imagine acres of this hillside

00:59:46.400 --> 00:59:50.500
of flattened grass and there were scattered quarter

00:59:50.500 --> 00:59:53.039
pieces, half pieces of loaves, little pieces

00:59:53.039 --> 00:59:56.539
here and there. Jesus was intentional that nothing

00:59:56.539 --> 00:59:59.920
got left in the field. And he sent his disciples

00:59:59.920 --> 01:00:04.380
out with baskets. The implication is they had

01:00:04.380 --> 01:00:06.539
to actually search for them and pick them up.

01:00:06.780 --> 01:00:09.579
They had to bend over and they had to grab each

01:00:09.579 --> 01:00:12.820
little fragment. And as they did that in this

01:00:12.820 --> 01:00:16.639
hillside, they filled, I'm just gonna go liberal

01:00:16.639 --> 01:00:18.639
here. Let's say this is the basket. They filled

01:00:18.639 --> 01:00:24.239
12 of these baskets full of the fragments. Here's

01:00:24.239 --> 01:00:26.650
what's important. I think... When it comes to

01:00:26.650 --> 01:00:29.750
us, it's important as we're looking at the Lord

01:00:29.750 --> 01:00:33.250
multiplying the fields in our life, it's important

01:00:33.250 --> 01:00:36.250
that we don't bypass or neglect the fragments

01:00:36.250 --> 01:00:39.530
that are right in front of us. What would that

01:00:39.530 --> 01:00:42.110
represent? I think a fragment would represent

01:00:42.110 --> 01:00:47.590
an idea, a God idea, a God thought that comes

01:00:47.590 --> 01:00:50.349
into your mind that it requires maybe a little

01:00:50.349 --> 01:00:53.800
bit of work. It requires a little bit of partnership,

01:00:53.880 --> 01:00:58.619
maybe even sacrifice. But as you engage with

01:00:58.619 --> 01:01:00.840
that sacrifice, as you engage with that work

01:01:00.840 --> 01:01:04.059
and the favor of God is on that idea or it's

01:01:04.059 --> 01:01:06.659
on that opportunity and God begins to release

01:01:06.659 --> 01:01:10.260
multiplication over you, your family, because

01:01:10.260 --> 01:01:12.739
you engage with that fragment that could have

01:01:12.739 --> 01:01:18.500
been very easily bypassed. Are you with me? I'll

01:01:18.500 --> 01:01:22.789
just give you an example. I was talking about

01:01:22.789 --> 01:01:24.849
ministry school. When I first went to ministry

01:01:24.849 --> 01:01:27.650
school, I was working 12 hours a week. I was

01:01:27.650 --> 01:01:30.570
living off of $650 a month. That was my monthly

01:01:30.570 --> 01:01:35.789
budget. And I was eating very little. I was eating

01:01:35.789 --> 01:01:39.190
rice and beans. And I was hearing all these testimonies

01:01:39.190 --> 01:01:42.090
from my fellow students that were having miraculous

01:01:42.090 --> 01:01:46.039
financial provision. People getting thousands

01:01:46.039 --> 01:01:48.559
of dollars given to them or they find a thousand

01:01:48.559 --> 01:01:51.119
dollars in the park or on the side of the road.

01:01:51.219 --> 01:01:53.920
I mean, just crazy stories. And I was praying,

01:01:54.099 --> 01:01:56.440
praying, praying, Lord, give me that provision.

01:01:56.599 --> 01:01:59.039
I need that provision. You see my situation.

01:01:59.960 --> 01:02:02.820
And I was literally in the middle of contending

01:02:02.820 --> 01:02:05.619
and praying one day for provision. And I get

01:02:05.619 --> 01:02:09.500
a text from my boss and said, hey, Scott, we

01:02:09.500 --> 01:02:11.059
know it's only been two months of you working

01:02:11.059 --> 01:02:13.880
here, but you're... You're a great worker and

01:02:13.880 --> 01:02:16.659
we'd like to give you more hours every week.

01:02:17.480 --> 01:02:19.699
And there was a part of me that almost immediately

01:02:19.699 --> 01:02:22.719
wanted to say no. Because it's like, no, I'm

01:02:22.719 --> 01:02:24.519
here for ministry school. I'm not here to work

01:02:24.519 --> 01:02:27.320
a bunch of hours. I'm here to like grow in God

01:02:27.320 --> 01:02:30.340
and pray more and read my Bible. No joke, I was

01:02:30.340 --> 01:02:32.480
about to say, oh, thanks for the offer, but I

01:02:32.480 --> 01:02:35.280
think I'm good. And the Holy Spirit immediately

01:02:35.280 --> 01:02:38.739
spoke to me and he said, this is the answer to

01:02:38.739 --> 01:02:43.019
your prayer. And the truth is, It required partnership.

01:02:43.440 --> 01:02:46.400
It required a little bit of work, but that is

01:02:46.400 --> 01:02:49.340
where God was bringing not just provision, but

01:02:49.340 --> 01:02:51.860
multiplication into my life. And it required

01:02:51.860 --> 01:02:55.699
me to not bypass what looked difficult, but recognize

01:02:55.699 --> 01:02:58.320
this is a fragment, but this is how God is actually

01:02:58.320 --> 01:03:01.940
releasing more into my life. Does that make sense?

01:03:02.360 --> 01:03:05.079
So maybe for you guys, you've got business ideas.

01:03:05.900 --> 01:03:08.340
that you can't just shake and you're like, man,

01:03:08.440 --> 01:03:10.300
I think I should do this, but it's gonna require

01:03:10.300 --> 01:03:13.739
something from me. That might be fragments that

01:03:13.739 --> 01:03:15.800
the Lord has brought into your life to release

01:03:15.800 --> 01:03:20.460
multiplication. Okay, we're gonna close here.

01:03:24.019 --> 01:03:26.219
Why don't you guys bow your heads with me? I'm

01:03:26.219 --> 01:03:30.880
gonna invite any elders, staff pastors that we

01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:32.920
have in the room. It might just be me, I don't

01:03:32.920 --> 01:03:36.320
know. But if you are in the room, Why don't you

01:03:36.320 --> 01:03:39.739
come forward? We're gonna close in prayer. And

01:03:39.739 --> 01:03:44.519
then if you would like to give for First Fruits

01:03:44.519 --> 01:03:46.480
this year, or if you have your commitment card

01:03:46.480 --> 01:03:48.780
ready where you've prayed about it, you've sought

01:03:48.780 --> 01:03:50.820
the Lord and you feel like you're supposed to

01:03:50.820 --> 01:03:53.440
give something, we would love to pray for you.

01:03:54.280 --> 01:03:57.280
But I just wanna pray and close before we move

01:03:57.280 --> 01:04:00.480
into that time at the altar. So Father, I thank

01:04:00.480 --> 01:04:06.829
you. Lord, you are a faithful God. Lord, in this

01:04:06.829 --> 01:04:10.050
season of first fruits, God, I'm asking that

01:04:10.050 --> 01:04:13.130
faith in each and every one of us would be stirred.

01:04:14.250 --> 01:04:17.650
Lord, it's not a faith for more money. It's not

01:04:17.650 --> 01:04:20.969
a faith for this or that. Lord, it's a faith

01:04:20.969 --> 01:04:24.449
saying, God, we know who you are, that you are

01:04:24.449 --> 01:04:28.030
faithful, you're trustworthy, you love us, you

01:04:28.030 --> 01:04:31.590
care for us, and you have great things in store

01:04:31.590 --> 01:04:35.980
for us. You have a harvest. in our lives that

01:04:35.980 --> 01:04:39.039
you are looking to see. Lord, we are asking that

01:04:39.039 --> 01:04:42.119
that faith would be grown in each and every person

01:04:42.119 --> 01:04:45.739
in this room. Lord, and in the same breath, I'm

01:04:45.739 --> 01:04:49.800
asking for joy to come. Lord, that you would

01:04:49.800 --> 01:04:52.239
begin to work on our hearts. Lord, if there's

01:04:52.239 --> 01:04:57.079
any part of our heart that has not actually been

01:04:57.079 --> 01:05:01.860
full of joy when it comes to gifts, giving of

01:05:01.860 --> 01:05:04.599
our finances, first fruit offerings, Lord, if

01:05:04.599 --> 01:05:06.420
there's been a reluctance, if there's been a

01:05:06.420 --> 01:05:09.559
frustration, I'm asking that your spirit would

01:05:09.559 --> 01:05:12.820
begin to work on our hearts. Lord, that you'd

01:05:12.820 --> 01:05:15.719
begin to tenderize the soil of our hearts, that

01:05:15.719 --> 01:05:18.659
the word of God and the harvest that you have

01:05:18.659 --> 01:05:23.260
for each of us would be realized this year. And

01:05:23.260 --> 01:05:27.079
Lord, lastly, I'm just asking, God, that multiplication

01:05:27.079 --> 01:05:32.500
would be released. Lord, as offerings are brought

01:05:32.500 --> 01:05:36.099
today, the rest of this month, God, I'm praying

01:05:36.099 --> 01:05:40.559
that you would multiply the harvest of your righteousness

01:05:40.559 --> 01:05:44.760
in each and every one of us in this place. Lord,

01:05:44.840 --> 01:05:47.619
that no fragment would get left behind. Lord,

01:05:47.699 --> 01:05:50.019
that we'd be diligent, we'd be faithful, but

01:05:50.019 --> 01:05:53.280
Lord, we would receive the fullness of what you're

01:05:53.280 --> 01:05:56.119
looking to do. Lord, you do not just add, you

01:05:56.119 --> 01:06:00.210
multiply. You cause an abounding. Lord, of what

01:06:00.210 --> 01:06:04.309
you're looking to harvest. And so I release that

01:06:04.309 --> 01:06:06.650
right now, Lord, over each of us, that as we

01:06:06.650 --> 01:06:09.809
take steps of faith, Lord, we can trust that

01:06:09.809 --> 01:06:12.469
you will multiply what you're looking to multiply

01:06:12.469 --> 01:06:16.610
in our lives. Lord, we bless you. We honor you

01:06:16.610 --> 01:06:23.389
in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you

01:06:23.389 --> 01:06:25.849
for taking the time to listen to this week's

01:06:25.849 --> 01:06:28.519
message. We are so grateful for those who tune

01:06:28.519 --> 01:06:31.360
in each week and have given generously to this

01:06:31.360 --> 01:06:34.579
ministry. If you would like to give click the

01:06:34.579 --> 01:06:37.239
link in the episode description below. You can

01:06:37.239 --> 01:06:40.039
also help us by subscribing to this podcast and

01:06:40.039 --> 01:06:42.900
sharing it with your friends and family. Lastly,

01:06:42.940 --> 01:06:45.900
if you are in need of prayer send us a text message

01:06:45.900 --> 01:06:51.559
at 541 -625 -1365. We would love to pray with

01:06:51.559 --> 01:06:51.760
you.