“God’s Principle Of First-Fruit Thanksgiving”
Proverbs 3:9-10
INTRODUCTION: Tomorrow is THANKSGIVING! This is a special day set aside to THANK GOD for His blessings, love and grace.
Even ATHEISTS can’t get around the fact that our nation honors God on this special day. Why don’t true Atheists go to work on Thanksgiving Day … or Christmas Day? As Christians, we need to show the world that God is worthy to be praised … NOT ONLY on Thanksgiving Day … BUT … every day of the year.
The Bible points out a PRIMARY PRINCIPLE for Thanksgiving … the PRINCIPLE of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING. In Old Testament times, the Jews would come together at Passover time, and appear before the LORD with their FIRST-FRUITS. PURPOSE: To offer to God the VERY FIRST of the VERY BEST that they had.
This is an important principle to remember as we approach Thanksgiving Day. We can’t ignore it … BECAUSE … God requires this of US, as well. God based their prosperity on the adherence of this principle. It’s not just an O.T. principle … OR a N.T. principle … OR a Church program. It’s GOD’S PRINCIPLE.
FIRST-FRUIT GIVING goes deeper than just passing the offering plate on Sunday. It’s based on a BIBLICAL THEME. Proverbs 3:9-10 – all turn.
God has always demanded to be FIRST PLACE. Exodus 20:5 – “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,” Our relationship with God is like a MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP … we are the “Bride of Christ”. He demands FIRST PLACE … AND … He gets JEALOUS if He’s not. He won’t play “2nd Fiddle”. He doesn’t like you “flirting with the Devil”.
There are certain EXPECTATIONS & RIGHTS in a marriage relationship. I buy MY WIFE flowers … NOT somebody else’s wife. I give my LOVE AND DEVOTION to MY WIFE … not to YOUR WIFE. She EXPECTS it … DESERVES it … WANTS it … DEMANDS it.
So does God! This is FIRST-FRUIT GIVING. This is THANKS-giving. God demands that we give Him our very BEST … making Him FIRST PLACE in our lives. Times haven’t changed. This is an ETERNAL PRINCIPLE. 1 Cor. 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Since the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God no longer demands blood sacrifices in the Temple. His METHOD has changed … BUT … GOD hasn’t. His PRINCIPLE has never changed. God STILL demands FIRST PLACE in your life. Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Luke 10:27 – “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind;”
SECOND BEST would never do in FIRST-FRUIT OFFERINGS. What COACH would be satisfied with a 2nd BEST effort? (“Go out and give it your 2nd best!” NO! They always say: “Go out and give me 110%!”). What HUSBAND would be satisfied with 2nd RATE cooking? (BEETS every day!). What WIFE would be satisfied being the 2nd MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN in her husband’s life? YET … Why do we expect GOD to be satisfied with less than our best?
What is the FIRST-FRUIT of a sour grape vine? A bunch of sour grapes. What is the FIRST-FRUIT of rotten apples? A bag of rotten apples. IN CONTRAST: What is the FIRST-FRUIT of an orchard of red, ripe apples? God requires that the FIRST-FRUIT OFFERING be the VERY BEST. NOT … just enough to get by … a token … a symbol … a kind gesture … BUT … the very BEST.
God doesn’t accept POLLUTED sacrifices or offerings. Malachi 1:6-8 – all turn.
Too often, we keep the very best … and give God what’s left over. We keep:
o The best TIME … and give the Lord maybe an hour on Sunday.
o The best SERVICE … and then we’re too tired to work for Him.
o The best THOUGHTS … and only think about Him if we think about it … OR … if we’re desperate.
o The best DOLLARS … and put a TIP in the offering plate … IF … we have anything left over at the end of the week/month.
So many times, our giving to God is an AFTER-THOUGHT. Instead of having our offering ready to give to God on Sunday, a lot of people open their wallet/purse as the offering plate is being passed, and look inside to see if they have any money that they don’t need.
In Malachi’s time, God’s people had neglected God’s principle of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING. RESULT: They were giving to God something that was of NO VALUE … to THEM … OR … to GOD. They were:
o Dumping their DISCARDS on God.
o Giving God their LEFT-OVERS.
o Letting God have their RUMMAGE … after picking over the best for themselves.
They were treating God as a “Goodwill God”.
In MODERN TERMS, they were:
o Giving God their END SLICES … and ate the good bread themselves.
o Giving God their USED TEABAGS … after using them first.
o Giving God their USED CHEWING GUM … after they had gotten all the “goodie” out.
God says: “I’ll not have it … I’ll not be disgraced in such a way … I’ll not be treated in such a manner.” After awhile, it became a HABIT … taking God for granted. LIKE, the relationship between a husband/wife. After awhile, it becomes NATURAL.
We will reap … with God … what we sow.
o You can’t reap DAISIES … if you sow stinkweed.
o You can’t reap TOMATOES … if you sow sandspurs.
o You can’t reap HEALTH … if you throw garbage into your bodies.
o You can’t reap BROWNIES … if you sow beets.
If you’re STINGY to God … you will reap accordingly. Galatians 6:7 – “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
God says: “Quit mocking Me!” What did God think, when Israel neglected His principle of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING? Malachi 3:7-10 – all turn.
AND … we wonder why God doesn’t bless us … why we’re missing God’s very best. It’s BECAUSE … we have forsaken God’s principle of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING.
We say: “But … it’s MY MONEY … MY TIME … MY LIFE.” Oh yeah? God owns EVERYTHING. Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” God owns the cattle on a thousand hills … the hills … and the sweet taters IN the hills! Col. 1:16 – “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” 1 Cor. 6:20 – “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
God doesn’t NEED your money … possessions … service … works … time … talents. He can do it all without you. BUT … He WANTS it. WHY? BECAUSE … it’s the RESULT of your giving YOURSELF to Him. AND … that’s what He wants … YOU.
God has made you a STEWARD of all that He has given you. Luke 16:1-2 – ribbon. A steward who WASTES his Master’s goods, is considered to be a DISHONEST steward. All that was entrusted to him was taken away. WHY? Because the Master couldn’t trust him with it. If God can’t trust you with the way you’ve handled the LITTLE He has given you … WHY should He trust you with MORE?
When we violate God’s principle of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING … we show Him exactly what we think of Him. “But … I can’t afford to give the very best to God!” NO! You can’t afford NOT to!.
We have the FALSE IDEA that God is interested MORE in the AMOUNT that we give Him … THAN … the QUALITY of the gift. How much did the poor widow give? 2 mites (2 cents, if you please). It wasn’t much … BUT … it was ALL that she had. MORE IMPORTANT than the size of the gift … was the amount LEFT OVER … ZERO.
She didn’t refuse to give ANYTHING, just because she didn’t have $200 to give. She simply gave what she HAD. She didn’t let what she DIDN’T HAVE, influence her to give NOTHING.
God looks at your HEART … AND … the AMOUNT. BUT … NOT NECESSARILY the amount GIVEN. God looks at the amount LEFT OVER. IF a person has $100,000, and gives $10,000 … how much is left over? $90,000. If a person has $100, and gives $10 … how much is left over? $90. BOTH gave 10%. NOW … in GOD’S SIGHT … which one gave MORE? The person who gave $10.
1 Cor. 16:2 – “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him,” God looks at how much you have LEFT OVER, to see the value of your gift to Him.
We say that we CAN’T AFFORD to give to God. YET:
o We go home and turn on our COLOR TV.
o We record our TV program on our VCR.
o We heat our meal on our MICROWAVE OVEN.
o We listen to our Christian tapes on our STEREO SYSTEM.
o We plan our vacations to the MOUNTAINS.
BUT .. we can’t afford to give to God!
Is God really concerned about such things? YES, He is. WHY? BECAUSE … it reveals where our HEART and AFFECTIONS are. It’s an indication of our YIELDEDNESS to Him … our LOVE for Him.
It’s a SLAP in His face, the way some Christians treat God when it comes to FIRST-FRUIT GIVING. WHY? BECAUSE … it’s a gauge of our LOVE for Him. It’s an insight of our FAITHFULNESS, LOVE, and DEDICATION to God.
CONCLUSION: God gauges our THANKSGIVING by our obedience to His principle of FIRST-FRUIT GIVING. Are we giving God the “left-overs” in our life? The “end slices” … the “discards” … a “tip” in the offering plate? AND … keeping the BEST for ourselves?
2 Cor. 8:5 – “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord,”
2 Cor. 9:6 – “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
What are we SOWING … what are we REAPING? Let’s make this the BEST THANKSGIVING ever! HOW? By giving to God our VERY BEST!
PRAYER – “Father, forgive us for putting You 2nd … 3rd … 4th place in our lives. Our priorities are all wrong. May we FIRST give you OURSELVES… that’s what You really want, anyhow. We pause right now, to give You our THANKS … for who You are!.”
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“God’s Principle Of First-Fruit Thanksgiving”
INTRODUCTION: God’s principle for THANKSGIVING is His principle for FIRST-FRUIT giving.
- It’s based on a Biblical theme – Proverbs 3:9-10
o God demands to be FIRST PLACE – Exodus 20:5
- 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 12:1, Luke 10:27
- We can’t expect God to be satisfied with less than our best.
o God doesn’t accept polluted offerings – Malachi 1:6-8
o Our giving to God shouldn’t be an AFTER-THOUGHT.
o Don’t treat God as a “Goodwill” God.
o After awhile, we take God for granted.
o You reap what you sow – Galatians 6:7
What God thought of Israel’s giving – Malachi 3:7-10
o God owns everything – Psalm 24:1, Colossians 1:16, 1 Corinthians 6:20
o God doesn’t NEED your offerings … BUT … He WANTS it.
- The result of your giving to God, is the giving of YOURSELF.
o You are a STEWARD of all God has given you – Luke 16:1-2
- If God can’t trust you with the LITTLE He has given you … WHY should He trust you with MORE?
o God doesn’t look at just the AMOUNT we give Him … but also the HEART with which we give it.
- God looks at the amount LEFT OVER – 1 Corinthians 16:2
o Our giving to God is a reflection of our heart toward God.
CONCLUSION:
o God gauges our THANKSGIVING by our obedience to His principle of FIRST-FRUIT giving.
o God wants FIRST for you to give YOURSELF – 2 Corinthians 8:5
o If you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully – 2 Corinthians 9:6
o Give God your VERY BEST!
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
