A New Provision - Part 1
1.
Have you ever had the thought “if I only had a little
more money, things would be better.”
a.
If we're honest, there’ve been times in our life when we felt like we just didn't have have enough money.
2.
While we’ve all had a moment or season where we
felt that way, there are some who LIVE in that place.
a.
They’re always behind the eightball, always
lacking, can never seem to get ahead.
b.
When a person is in that place, it’s easy to make
the focus “needing more money,” but the question shouldn’t be “how can I get
more money…”
c.
The question should be “Am I managing my income and assets in accordance with God’s principles?”
3.
FACT
Money IS IMPORTANT
a.
We need it to live. We have to have it for the basic necessities
of life: Food, shelter, clothing.
b.
It can also be used to buy the non-necessities
of life: our wants, which is where we can get in trouble!
c.
The way that we manage money is an indicator of
our faith & our priorities.
d.
The way we spend our money reveals what is truly
important to us.
I recently watched a documentary about a drug addict in Las Vegas. This man earned $150 per day panhandling, and spent it all on drugs, noting that he had probably given his drug dealer over $3000 in the past month. The man recognized that he could live in a decent apartment, and live a normal life with that money, but the reality was that his drugs were the most important thing in his life.
4.
My objective for the next few weeks is not to make
anyone feel judged or guilty, but rather to be the voice of HOPE and LIFE to
the person that may be struggling in this area.
a.
Reality:
God’s word gives us sound financial principles for our lives,
b.
And it we’ll simply align our lives with the
principles God gives us, we can enjoy the blessings of God in our lives
c.
We will learn that being obedient brings a “Redemptive
Result”
5.
Today - Firstborn and Firstfruit
Principle of
Firstborn
6.
The principle of firstborn is found throughout
the bible:
a.
Adam was the firstborn man; he was given
dominion over all the earth to be God’s steward.
b.
The first offering recorded in the bible was an
offering of a firstborn; Abel brought best of the firstborn lambs from his
flock.
7.
In Exodus God affirmed this principle to the
Israelites:
"Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever
opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is
Mine." Ex 13:1-2
a.
When an animal delivered its firstborn, it was
to be set apart to the Lord.
b.
If it was an unclean animal (pig) or had a
defect, then it was to be redeemed, or bought back.
And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it
according to your valuation …it shall be sold according to your valuation. Lev 27:27
8.
This principle was applicable to man as well…
a.
The firstborn sons of Israel belonged to God –
they were to be set apart for service in the House of God; they were to be the
priests!
b.
After the golden calf incident, God set apart
the Levites for His service (and also re-affirmed the principle of the
firstborn):
"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from
among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb
among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, because all
the firstborn are Mine. Num 3:12-13
9.
Why was this principle important? Because it was a picture of what God Himself
would do through His Son Jesus Christ:
a.
Think about it – Adam was the “firstborn,” yet because
he sinned, sin entered into the race of man,
b.
From that point on, every human was born with a
defect, a sin nature, which set the stage for a requirement that we needed to
be redeemed.
10. What
did God do? The same thing He told the
Israelites to do:
a.
God redeemed us to Himself by the sacrifice of HIS
FIRSTBORN, the perfect, spotless, Lamb of God, Jesus Christ
b.
And interestingly, just as the firstborn Hebrews
were to be set apart to be priests, through our relationship with Christ, WE
are now set apart to be priests for our God:
you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… 1 Peter 2:9
And you have caused them (us) to become a Kingdom of
priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” Rev 5:10
Major Point: God is the initiator
11. It’s
important that we understand - God gave first,
a.
Creation – Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, God
always was the initiator
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8
12. This
helps us understand that this principle isn't “God is greedy and want’s the
firstborn…”
a.
Rather, God gave to us FIRST – He gave us
something that we could never put a price on, something we could never afford;
His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ.
b.
The principle of the firstborn recognizes that God
gave to us first, and we acknowledge His goodness to us by giving back to God, our first.
The Principle of Firstfruits
13. There’s
a parallel principle to the principle of the firstborn, and that is the
principle of the firstruits.
The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall
bring into the house of the LORD your God. Ex 23:19
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of
the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.
Lev 27:30
14. These
scriptures tell us three things:
a.
#1
Whatever comes into our hand, whether by a crop that is harvested, or a
paycheck that is harvested, the firstfruit, which scripture also calls the “tithe”
(meaning one tenth) belongs to God.
b.
#2 The
firstfruit is HOLY to the Lord, meaning “set apart” for God’ purpose
c.
#3 We are
to bring this firstfruit or tithe into the house of the Lord.
d.
(some might say “that was OT, but listen to what
Jesus said)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of
the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done,
without neglecting the others. Matthew
23:23
First Things First
15. Question
- When we sit down and write our bills, what is the first check we write? (Usually
whatever is biggest!)
a.
Here’s the thing: God doesn't tell us "give what’s left
over". He says’ clearly to bring to
Him the first.
b.
What does that mean? When we get paid, the first
check we write should be our tithe to the Lord.
16. This
may sound somewhat legalistic, some of you are thinking right now “what does it
matter?”
a.
But trust me, it does matter, because what we do first is a reflection of what
is most important to us.
b.
I once worked with a man that always ordered his
dessert first, because it was the most important part of the meal to him!
17. Look,
we can be honest, when payday arrives, our first thought isn’t always "Awesome!
Now I get to give to the Lord!"
a.
No, usually our mind goes to the things we want
or need to buy.
b.
Bills, clothes, kids need shoes, car
payment...
c.
We hope at the end there is something left, so
we can splurge a little, maybe take the wife out for dinner.
18. Guess
what, God knows how we are. So God, in
His infinite wisdom, helps us to set a pattern where we give the tithe to Him first.
a.
WHY? Because
it teaches us to trust Him.
Faith Before
Feelings
19. How
many times have we run out of money before we run out of bills? And then the juggling
act begins!
a.
In this situation, it’s easy to skip giving God
the tithe (we certainly can't let our cable TV get shut off, I wouldn't be able
to watch the World Cup!).
b.
Our feelings are telling us "I have bills to
pay! I have stuff I need!”
20. But
when that happens, we want to recognize what it is: in reality this is a TEST
of our PRIORITIES and our FAITH.
a.
What is more important? My bills, or my obedience to God?
b.
What will I obey – my feelings, or my faith?
c.
In other words, it requires an activation of my faith
to give the tithe first.
21. You
see, faith is being obedient to God when
we cannot see the outcome.
a.
Faith is recognizing that it may require the supernatural
hand of God for everything to work out.
b.
Faith says "God, I am going to be obedient
to you, and trust you for the rest."
22. Trust
me: You want the supernatural
hand of God working in your finances, because God can do more with 90% than you
or I can do with 100%.
The “Good old days”
23. Now,
I know that some of you may be thinking “back in the bible days” it was easier,
they just gave an animal or some crops.”
a.
Actually, NO!
Those animals and crops were life and death: No animals, no crops, you
don’t eat!
b.
Consider their position: The first animal was to
be given to God; what if no more animals were born?
c.
The first of the crop was to be given to God;
what if a storm came and ruined the rest?
d.
When we give to God first, we are saying to God
"I trust you for continued provision.”
Do I Trust God?
24. It
comes down to trust: Do I believe God
will be my provision?
a.
In my own experience, the answer to that
question is unequivocal - YES!
b.
God will always come through! Why?
Because He gave us a promise:
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I
will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing
that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the
field,” Mal 3:10-11
c.
God is saying He will bless you, you’ll have more
than enough, He’ll keep the devil from ripping you off!
25. We
need to recognize that we have an enemy, Satan, who doesn’t want you to trust
God.
a.
Consider his motive: Satan does not want the
Kingdom of God funded!
b.
He’ll tell you lies: “You can’t afford to
tithe,” “you'll go broke if you tithe.”
c.
It's the same strategy that our government uses
to cripple an enemy; We hit them where it hurts – the pocketbook!
26. God
tells us the exact opposite:
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each
one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God
loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor 9:6-7
a.
Who are we going to believe?
27. And,
if we’ll trust God in the small things, then God is able to bless us with MORE
Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been
faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things… Matt 25:23
There was a man who started a business and promised God
he would give the firstfruit to Him. His
business started earning $1000 a week, no problem. Then it went up to $2000 a week. Still, no problem. The God blessed his
business and he started earning $10,000 per week. At that point he was struggling with writing
a $1000 tithe check each week, so he went to the pastor and told him “Pastor, I’m
really struggling giving God $4000 each month,” to which the pastor replied “no
problem, let’s pray right now. Lord,
please reduce this man’s income to the point where He no longer struggles
giving to you.”
28. The
next thing God says is: "bring your firstfruits into the house of the
Lord, your God."
The House of God
29. Notice
God doesn't say "give your firstfruits to whomever you feel led."
a.
At one time or another we’ve all thought:
"I’ll give to so-and-so ministry (or person), that’ll be my tithe."
b.
That might seem OK, because it’s “all for God” –
but it’s not.
c.
Apply that to your own life; What if you called
your mortgage bank, and told them you spent half of your mortgage payment to
paint your bedroom. I mean, it’s still
for the house, right?
30. Now
don't get me wrong, giving to worthwhile ministries and supporting missionaries
is very important,
a.
That’s what’s called “freewill offerings” –
giving to a ministry, or a person,
over and above the tithe.
b.
But we are not to take away from our giving to
the house of the Lord in order to do so.
31. Listen
to what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:
(turn to 1 Cor 9:7-12)
7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not
drink of the milk of the flock? 8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does
not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You
shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”[a] Is it oxen God is
concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes,
no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who
threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual
things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others
are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach
the gospel should live from the gospel. (vs 14)
a.
Paul isn’t asking for a handout, he’s simply
underscoring the principle that those who labor for the gospel should be supported
by those who have benefited from that labor.
32. The
house of God is the institution that the Lord Jesus Christ ordained to be the
vehicle for His people to gather together and worship Him, and the instrument
that would spread the gospel to the nations.
I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it. Matt 16:18
a.
It’s the place where we receive spiritual
feeding.
b.
It is where we turn when we are having difficulties,
or have a need.
c.
The house of God is a place where we come together
as a spiritual family and worship the Lord!
33. Bottom
line: giving the tithe is a form of worship.
It's a matter of the heart
a.
That’s why we take up the offering during
worship: It’s not that we think you’ll
be more generous when the lights are low.
b.
It’s because we recognize that our giving the
tithe to the Lord is a act of worship.
c.
We recognize that what we do with something as
important as money, speaks volumes about where our heart is.
34. Guys
think about when you first met your wife – you were dating…
a.
Anything she wanted, you would get it! If you had to sell something, it was going to
happen!
b.
Why? Because – she had your heart.
35. Or
perhaps you have children, if there is something they need, or even want, you
want to bless them and make sure they have it!
a.
Why – because they have your heart!
36. When
our heart is for the Lord and His kingdom, we’ll gladly, cheerfully, give to
Him.
37. Our
giving to the Lord will become an act of worship, acknowledging God as our redeemer
- He redeemed us from an eternity in hell!
a.
Acknowledging Him as our provider, the source of
all that we have.
b.
And we trust that He will fulfill His promise to
us, that He will...
(the rest of the verse) And God is able to make all
grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Cor 9:8
38. My
challenge you today is this: Do you trust God? Do you want His blessings on you
life?
a.
Then step out in faith and give the firstfruit
to Him.
b.
God has a mission for our church, to reach our
city, and the world, with the gospel message
c.
God's provision to fund that mission is the
firstfruit of His people, we get the privilege of partnering with God to change
the world,
d.
And as a bonus, store up treasures in heaven.
39. In
other words: when we give to our church there is a “Redemptive Result”
a.
Added blessing - “New provision in our lives”
40. Try
for 90 days – if you don’t experience the blessings of God, we’ll give you your
money back!
Copyright © 2010 Clay
Ritter. This data file is the sole property of Clay Ritter. It may be copied
only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this
data file must contain this copyright notice. This data file may not be copied
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permission should be made in writing and addressed to Pastor Clay Ritter, c/o
Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, 2831 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington NC, 28412.
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