First and Best: Honoring God With Everything

The anchor text that we're going to read today is Proverbs 3, verses 9 and 10.

Proverbs 3:9

And then we're going to go into Matthew.

But the anchor text is this: honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce.

Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Some will say, well, you know, this is Old Testament.

We don't have to honor God with first fruits anymore, with our first and our best.

But it amazes me that usually we want to alter God's word where it suits our fleshly desires.

You ever notice that?

We want to alter God's word to where it suits our fleshly desires.

We want it to fit what we want it to fit.

And God's word does not change.

Amen.

It is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

There's even some and some quote well known that are saying that you know what?

Tithes don't matter anymore.

You know, that just don't matter.

It's Old Testament.

You don't have to give God anything anymore.

Now look, God don't need our money.

Let's get clear.

But he does use it.

Amen.

And he also, and I'm probably going to get ahead of myself.

That's okay.

But he loves a cheerful giver.

It's not necessarily, though, money.

It can be our time.

You know, the first fruits of our time, of our focus, of our affection.

All that should be to him.

That's what this series is all about.

That he gets the first and the best, not the leftovers, not the insignificance.

And so with that being said, I want us to look at Matthew chapter 6, verse 19.

Matthew 6:19

It says, Do not lay up yourself for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I heard a preacher say one time, don't ask me who, I don't remember, but uh somebody, or maybe it's just somebody, but whoever God used, say one time that it is amazing, and it stuck with me, he said, it is amazing how we can trust God with the eternal destiny of our soul, but we fight him over our wallet.

You ever thought about that?

Or we fight him over the things he is, that's what he said, but fight him over, maybe he wants us to do something.

Maybe he's calling us into a certain direction, and we fight him over those things, but yet we trust him with what happens to us when we die or when he comes back.

The thing is, is that what happens a lot of time is the reason why that we trust him with our soul is because we don't really have a choice unless we want to go to hell.

And we think that with money or time or talent or these other things, that, you know, I can handle them myself.

I don't really need, you know, God to help me with those.

I can handle them myself.

Well, you can, but you won't handle them correctly.

I use the illustration of uh these master tradesmen, Michael and Brother Joe and Brother Ryan and Nelson and these others that's got these knowledge of plumbing and electrical and water and crafting and woodworking and all that stuff.

You know, I can do that stuff, but it ain't gonna be right.

I can put wires into a box and I might get some of them right, but if I had to rewire a whole house and all that stuff, or I had to redo the whole plumbing, or I had to understand all this other stuff about crafting and cutting wood and all the different angles and stuff, you know, I could do it, but it wouldn't look good.

Why?

Because I'm not a master at it.

And it amazes me, and it probably you as well, when we're honest with ourselves, that we sometimes think that God doesn't know things as good as we do.

You ever thought about that?

That he doesn't understand the situation like we do, that he doesn't get it, that God, I need you to do something now.

But God says, give me your first and your best, which means not just your trust for salvation, but your trust for today, your trust for tomorrow, your faith for what you do understand, and your faith for the things that you don't understand.

The first fruit that God requires is not simply some of me, but all of me.

That's why he says that we are a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is what our reasonable service, the King James says, or spiritual act of worship, some others say.

But when we think about being the principle of first, we honor God.

Notice what he says, we honor God, the Lord, with our your wealth.

The most important thing is not the wealth, is that we're honoring him.

It's that we're honoring God with what he's given us, and we're giving back a portion showing him our thankfulness.

So, what is the problem?

Why do we struggle with this?

Well, because it just it displays and determines what?

Where your heart is.

If you struggle giving God of your treasures, it's because you've not truly given him all your heart.

Have you ever noticed?

Amen.

Do you remember when the tax collector got saved?

Well, do you remember, amen?

He said, I will give back, I'll restore back fourfold of anyone that I have gained anything from.

What?

He didn't care about the money because he had Jesus.

He didn't care about standing because he had found somewhere to kneel before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

You see, we we gotta understand that the first fruits is not simply a word to sound good.

Amen.

It is a dedication of oneself, of one's life, of one's abilities, of one's finances, of one's mentalities, of understandings.

God, it is yours first and mine second.

And if I ever get that out of order, guess what happens?

You go cuckoo.

You offended me by saying that.

Well, when God's order is not the order, it's out of order, and anything out of order is what we call messed up.

Right?

If I'm if I'm supposed to put uh Brother Michael and and and Sister Nicole did uh I'd say 99.9% of the floor, I assisted very little.

That's why I said 99.9% of the flooring back there in the landing.

And a few times I held something, or you know what I mean, but you know, they did it really.

But but it was important the order that they did it.

One time I had it turned one way, and brother Michael was nice, he's always, you know, nice.

He said, No, brother, he said it's got to go this way.

Because the way you're doing it, it won't work.

You've got it out of order.

I could have still laid it down.

He could have just ignored me and said, Yeah, just let him do it, old dumb pastor.

Just, you know, just do it.

But it wouldn't have looked right.

And when you'd have walked on it, you'd have felt the slip, and it would have, you know why?

Because it's out of order.

And I didn't get upset with him because he said this is the right way, because I knew the one talking to me understood the order better than I did.

Understood how to do it better than I did.

And so I just said, Thank you, brother.

I'm sorry about that.

He said, No problem.

It's no big deal.

You just turn it this way.

You see, that's how my father is.

Amen.

He doesn't get upset, amen, when he comes to me and says, you know, this is out of order.

This is not in the right order, uh, son.

You need to change this up.

Amen.

I don't I don't need to get upset with him.

I should just say, Father, thank you for telling me.

Amen.

Because your way is my way.

I want your will, not my will.

I don't want to get upset.

I just want to be obedient.

You see, uh, people get upset when you start talking about the first fruits, when you start talking about what God wants us to give of our time, our talents, our energy, our efforts.

You know, they get upset because, well, that's mine.

Well, uh, you know, I'm confused because the word tells me that I wouldn't have a breath unless he had given it to me.

And Psalms tells me that let everything that hath what?

Breath do what?

Praise the Lord.

Well, why do we praise him?

Because it's through him that I live and move and have my being.

It's because of him that I'm alive, it's because of him that I have the faculties of understanding.

So when I give him my first fruits of my time, my talents, my energy, when I give him of myself, it is not something that I'm doing, you know, that he should be happy with me that I did.

No, it's the least that I can do.

It's the least I can do.

Okay, okay, Pastor, I get it.

I'm supposed to give God of my first and my best, and and not just of, you know, and look, uh Brother Roger will tell you, and the reason why I say Brother Roger is because he's our Secretary and Treasurer.

I I have never asked what anybody gives to this church financially.

God knows what you do and what you don't do.

Okay?

Now, if somebody goes up for office, I'll uh, you know, and they've not already established and I don't know them as real well, or maybe they haven't been here real long, I may ask them, Do you do you feel, Brother Roger, they're being faithful?

Not how much, none of this other stuff, but do you feel like they're being faithful?

Giving to the Lord.

That's what I always do.

And if they say yeah, that's all I care to know.

Why?

Because God's gonna take care of it if they don't.

Amen.

Amen.

You say, well, why do you even know?

Well, because a lot of times if we're not willing to give what God's already required us to give, how can we say that we're gonna do what he tells us to do?

Amen.

Jesus ain't worried about money.

I mean, he gets gold out of fishes' mouth, he paves his street with gold.

It's not the money, it's the the heart posture or the heart posture not just toward finances, but toward our time, toward our talent, toward our energy.

What is our heart posture?

Do we want to give or do we want to take?

Jesus said, I come not to be minister to, but to minister.

He said, I come not of my own accord, but I come by the will of the Father.

And this was Jesus.

If he came not to please himself or to do his own will, but to do the will of the Father, how much more should we?

Look at 2 Corinthians 9, 6.

You hear this a lot?

Say, oh pastor, you're talking about this.

Well, it's just the word of God, it's the truth.

I make no apologies for the truth of the word.

The point is this whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must give as he has decided where?

In his heart.

Because your motivation matters.

Not reluctantly or under compulsion.

I'm not up here preaching, I already took up the offering, I'm not asking another one.

Okay?

Sometimes y'all have to remind me to take them up.

Not that I don't know that we need to take it up, but I just ain't my focus.

Right?

For God loves what?

A cheerful giver.

And God is able to make what all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good word.

I don't know if nobody can't get excited about verse eight.

But you got to remember verses six and seven.

What?

If we sow sparingly, we're gonna reap sparingly.

If we sow boundfully, we're gonna reap boundfully.

Not necessarily, it can be money, but it could be in other ways.

It could be in good health, it could be in opportunities, it could be in God opening doors to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we sow into one the gospel of Jesus Christ, he's gonna open doors for us to share into more.

Amen.

And he says, each one must give us, he has decided in his heart for the right reason, for the right motive.

And when you can put the context of verses five and uh six and seven, then he says, and God is able to make all grace abound to you.

You're not paying for it.

It's because your heart's in the right place, and because your heart's in the right place, God says, I can bless you.

Because when your heart's in the right place, you understand that God, your first.

Amen.

What I give to you is of my first, and everything that I have comes from you, and you are first of all things.

And so when God sees a heart like that, he says, I can pour grace into them because they understand that grace is unmerited favor, and I will get the glory, and they will hog it, but they'll understand it came from me.

And when that happens, he said he'll make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency, all sufficiency in what?

In all things.

When?

Brother, don't ain't don't ain't that good.

In all things at all times, for the right reason.

He qualifies for what reason, too.

You may abound how?

In every good work.

He ain't blessing you just to be blessed, he's blessing you, amen, to do something for his kingdom.

Amen.

I give first of him so that he can use me.

Amen.

Woo! I feel the Holy Ghost.

Yeah, but you know, God understands, hey, I can't do it.

I can't do it this time.

I gotta hold back.

Now look, I'm not in this situation.

I'm I'm not one of these that believes that you're supposed to give once a week or every two weeks or whatever.

I mean, some people get paid once a month.

Some people, amen, maybe you have to work two weeks straight without a day off or whatever.

And look, I there's times that things happen, and God understands that.

Amen.

But our heart posture should always be Him first.

And if it becomes an issue, if something's becoming an issue in our life where it's trying to compete with Him being first, we need to pray God opens a different direction.

Because if He ain't first, He ain't anything.

But I'm not gonna tell you how to do and how to give and what to give, but God will, His Spirit will tell you if your heart's in the right place.

If your heart's in the right place.

And by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance will I also receive that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, in accordance to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one untimely born here, he appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God, what I am what I am, and his grace toward me is was not in vain.

What's that got to do with first fruits?

Well, it's leading up to this right here.

What I am what I am, why his grace toward me?

That's why I can freely give.

Why?

Because I have freely received.

I freely give to others because I have freely received.

He said, Well, uh, I work for my money, but I ain't talking about money.

I'm talking about the grace of God that he gave you freely that you didn't earn.

But even the money you did, quote, earn, he gave you the breath in your body and the ability to do it and the door to walk through.

Amen.

It's still his.

That's why sometimes we think that our time, our talents, and our money is owned by us.

We're not owners, we're stewards.

An owner means you possess it.

A steward means it ain't yours, but you determine where it goes.

And my life is not my own.

Paul said it this way: it's no longer my life is no longer mine.

What I he has said, I am now hidden in Christ.

It's no longer me that lives, what?

But Christ that lives in me.

And the life I now live, I live by faith with the one who died for me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2.20.

Amen.

So when I understand this, amen, that it is by grace I want to freely give because I have freely received.

I freely give because I freely receive.

But never make a mistake.

You cannot buy anything from God.

Not with your time, your talent, your resources, your money, you cannot buy anything from God.

There is God, don't barter anything.

You either give it all to Him or you have nothing to Him.

So when we think about first fruits, when we think about giving things to God, giving ourselves and our time and our talents to God, we must be reminded that He deserves it all.

And the verse we all can quote tells us exactly why.

Why?

Because God so loved the world, what?

That He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

That's why He deserves everything that we have.

I wouldn't have life except He gave it to me.

I wouldn't have hope except He was my hope.

You see, we we forget so easily.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for who?

For us all.

How will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Notice that word graciously.

Obviously the root there is grace unmeritedly.

Amen.

Not because I earned it or I deserved it, Amen, but what with Him, with who?

With Jesus, He'll give us all things.

And so God wants us to be more like a funnel than like a pocket.

He wants us to be like a water hose more than a bucket.

And what I mean by that is, don't be offended, is that He wants to flow through us.

He wants to bless us, but He doesn't want the blessings to stay.

He wants the blessings to flow.

Amen.

He blesses to be a blessing.

Amen.

He blesses us to be a blessing.

Amen.

And if all we're ever looking for is to hold more, amen, you're gonna get less.

Because God says, I've already what I've already gave you, what are you doing with it?

There's some of you here today, you God's given you time, talent, finances, resources, all the different things, and you have sowed them into the kingdom.

And every single time I feel the Holy Ghost, every single time, God says, Here's more.

And then there's some of you that have been fighting God and you saying, Well, but I God know, you know, I need this, I need this, and I need this, and it never seems to go far enough.

Let me tell you, God's not broke, but he does watch everything.

You know, Brother Roger, my wife's in the financial sectors in some ways where they balance sheets and different things and has for many years.

Amen.

They're human, so they're not perfect.

Somebody might get something over on them, might squeak something by on the backside that they don't notice.

God sees everything.

And he knows if we really are giving him our best and our first.

He knows if we're really giving our best time, our best energy, our best effort.

And if we're not, and you say, well, okay, I'm not, so what?

The father gave his best.

As we just read, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.

When the father gave, he gave his best.

And when we give, God says, give you best.

You know, there's a reason why back in the day, and they don't you don't hear it much anymore, but you used to hear people say your Sunday's best.

You know, you're gonna wear your Sunday best.

Because especially back when my parents were growing up, and even not that long ago, you really only had like one good pair of clothes and you wore them to church because the rest of them was like work clothes, and they was rough.

And so you put on that one pair.

Why?

Because you wanted to bring your best to God's house.

Amen.

And we should still want to do that today.

Amen.

To bring him our first, to bring him our best.