First Fruits 2026 (1st service) - Pastor Brad Neuschwander (May 3, 2026) | Life Bible Church

Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We

want to thank you for joining us today and we

hope you find today's sermon impacting as you

listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.

To find service times and watch messages online,

see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,

enjoy this week's message. I want us to open

our Bibles anywhere. Really, honestly, probably

to 2 Corinthians chapter nine, if you would do

that. 2 Corinthians nine, I'm gonna pray for

us this morning. Then we're jumping right into

the message. I got a lot of ground to cover.

So Father, this morning, I thank you. Thank you

for what you've already done here in this place.

Lord, we exalt Jesus. We exalt his name, his

life, his sacrifice. We exalt the fact that he

is building his church. He's building each of

us. And Lord, this morning, we do not step away

from the light. We run to it. Let the light of

your truth, Lord, shine on us. And let the Holy

Spirit, Holy Spirit come and touch us deep in

our heart to respond to you in. a face -to -face

moment as you stand in and among us seeing the

fields of our heart. Let all of us this morning

be ready to hear the Lord of the harvest speak

over our fields and let our hearts respond with

joy in saying, yes, Lord, we love you. In Jesus'

name, amen. Thank you, Jenny. Appreciate it.

Well, we've had an incredible weekend last week

with Pastor Tim Karskadon. What a wonderful friend.

If you didn't get a chance to hear both services.

Each service was a little different, even though

there was somewhat of the same theme. I would

encourage you to get the, I don't think we had

the video recording because of just not cameras

and second service, but the audio recording we

have. And it's very, very good. I just want to

give you a little bit of recap from what Pastor

Tim shared, and then we'll build on that this

morning. The principal, he really came to encourage

us both in, prophetic word and in the principle

of the first. As we get ready to receive our

first fruits commitment this morning, as we do

that as part of just the atmosphere of causing

growth inside of us. For me and Jenny, as we've

been doing this for almost 30 years now, this

becomes really what I look forward to it in the

spirit. In the flesh, not so much. But in the

spirit, I look forward to it every year. In fact,

once I'm done giving of what the Lord asked me

to commit, then I actually start preparing even

for the next year. It means that much to me because

I've watched the Lord. speak so many times. It's

a time of stretching and it's a time of hearing

his voice. And so it's both a, it's a joy and

it is a little bit of, okay, Lord, what are you

saying? And what are you going to do this coming

year? And that's exciting. Pastor Tim was talking

about really the principle of the first. And

he read for us out of really Genesis chapter

four, the the account of Cain and Abel and demonstrated

that this account not only was the heart of giving

in each man exposed, but it was the count of

what revealed the Lord's blessing on the attitude

of the heart. And that's what he really focused

on, on Abel giving of his own free will. He did

not withhold the first and the best of what God

provided with him. And Abel represents those

who willingly, and I think this was the key that

he was trying to communicate, for sure, second

service, willingly and cheerfully what God asked,

not trying to negotiate with what he thought

better. Cain represents that latter. He chose

to give, but he wanted to determine the level

of his giving rather than responding to what

the Lord had determined and put on his heart.

As we continue now to celebrate this truth of

first fruits, first fruits is the first, the

first of the fields before we harvest it, which

means what? It means that we're not giving after

the fact that it comes in. We're giving and responding

as before the fields are even harvested. This

truth of first fruits is further explained really

all through the scriptures. I was looking at

something this morning early. And as I was looking

at it, there are a hundred scriptures. A hundred

scriptures that deal with the first and the first

fruits all through the scriptures. It's a major

theme all through the Bible. But for today, just

a few things. It's touched in Exodus 23. It's

touched in Leviticus 23. It's touched in Deuteronomy

26. And it's connected to 1 Corinthians. 15,

20, where Jesus, the apostle Paul is telling

the Corinthian church, Jesus is our first fruits.

And second Corinthians chapter eight and seven,

second Corinthians nine, six, where we're gonna

look at today, it's connected to the principle

of sowing and reaping. Jesus was sown. And then

he was reaped and those that follow him will

receive the same blessing and the same encounter

of being changed and transformed as he was. It's

a principle that's all through the scripture.

Exodus 23, 19, when it talks about bringing our

first fruits offering is what God asks us to

do. He said, bring the best of your first fruits.

You shall bring to the house of your God. Leviticus

23. Nine through 11 says it this way. When you

come into the land that I give you, bring a sheaf

of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest

and he shall wave it before the Lord. And Deuteronomy

26 says it this way. When you come into the land

that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance

and you take possession of it and live in it,

you shall take some of the first of all the fruit

of the ground which you will harvest from your

land that the Lord is giving you. You shall put

it in a basket and you shall go to the place

that your Lord, your God will choose to make

his name dwell there. And you shall go to the

priest. And say to him, I declare that I've come

into the land that the Lord has swore to give

us to our fathers. And the priest shall take

the basket from your hand. It'll set it before

the altar of the Lord. And now you will say as

you do that, I bring the first fruit of the ground

which you have given me. I set it before you,

O God, and worship the Lord your God. First fruits

at the very core. What Pastor Tim was saying

and what the word of God is emphasizing is it

is a response of worship of his protection, his

love, his grace, and his ability to give me,

and I don't mean this just in a natural getting

things, to expand me and increase me in every

area. Not just naturally, spiritually. When I

put down on that card that you have there in

front of you and it says, what are the harvests

that you're looking for? I filled it out this

weekend as I was waiting before the Lord of what

God was asking Jenny and I to do. And I filled

it out knowing that I wouldn't have time today

to do that as I'm teaching. The first three things

on that card for me were for this church. Before

it ever hits my life personally, it hits this

church. Why? Because you're the church. Three

things that I'm asking for this congregation.

Three things that I'm asking spiritually. And

you better believe that thing back there is on

the list. But I am asking, that riverbank issue,

that was number three. It wasn't the first. I'm

asking for God to continue to work in this house

a depth of maturity of the real presence of Christ.

Why? Because I am sowing into that. Remember,

in the children of Israel's life, like our life,

they had a promised land. Their land was a natural

land. Our land is spiritual first and natural

second. Theirs was natural first and spiritual

second. Why? Because the Bible says all of the

promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. Jesus

becomes our promised land. I'm not traveling

to some state to get the promise. I am on a journey.

to have Christ formed in me. He is the result

of everything that's in the scripture. And I

am believing him for what he speaks to me and

speaks over me. Now, for the children of Israel,

the principle was they could not do that in the

wilderness. God could. gave them this offering

way before they ever got into the promised land.

And they could not operate in it until they stepped

into the land to occupy and possess it. Just

like you and I. You and I, if we can't grab onto

this truth, we won't get it in a journey of just

being bewildered. Why? Because God knew in the

wilderness, even though he was providing for

them, they would not believe his works. You got

to read the rest of the Bible to actually get

the fullness of the story. He said with many

of them, he was not well pleased. The whole book

of Hebrews says the whole generation missed out

on God. Why? They would not mingle it with faith.

Meaning what? Faith that remained. How many know

it's easy to eat manna when it keeps coming down

from the ground and you have no faith for it?

Let me say that again. When manna just appears,

there's no faith to eat it. It's when you don't

see it that faith actually is involved. Come

on, we sang about it this morning. When you don't

see it and have to believe God and in the belief

of God, God then comes and manifests himself.

That's what takes faith. And that moves you from

a wilderness experience where God does everything

for you to a what? Promised land experience where

you are understanding the climate and the atmosphere

of this land is different than what I was journeying

in to actually make faith real. Are you there?

Now, first fruits offering is a covenant offering.

It can only operate with faith. And that's why

it's an offering of worship connected to a covering.

One of the things that Moses rehearsed before,

and this is so important to get, one of the things

that Moses had to tell the church in the wilderness,

and that's what the book of Acts calls it, Acts

chapter seven, Stephen. by the Holy Spirit said

the church in the wilderness. Why? Because he

was explaining the reality of it. It was understanding

God's presence was with them. Moses said to them,

as they got ready to cross into the promised

land, as you read the book of Deuteronomy, he

said, you need to get this because when you come

into the promised land, and he says, and I'm

paraphrasing this, but let me read what it says

in Deuteronomy 8, 17. He said, beware. Lest you

say in your heart, my power and the might of

my hand has got me this wealth. That is a reference

back to Cain. The strength of what I've grown,

of what I'll put on the altar, God has to respect.

Why? It came from my labor. No. You shall remember

that the Lord your God, it is he. who gives you

the power to get wealth, that he may confirm

his covenant that he swore to your fathers as

it is this day. As it is this day was what? As

they stood on the precipice of entering into

the promised land, Moses, the servant of the

Lord, was reminding them, guys, this ground that

you're entering into, promised land ground, be

careful. Because you can begin to take the glory

for it. This is a ground that has to be given

and what comes from it comes from covenant and

worship and recognizing it's your relationship

with him that brings your increase. We can never

forget that, okay? The first fruits offering

then is connected to God's desire to grow in

our trust with him. to become more dependent

in him in every area, which brings increase.

If you think about this in relationship to every

spiritual gift, spiritual grace, spiritual truth,

I mean the fruits of the spirit, the character

of Christ in every level, love, forgiveness,

mercy. Patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness,

having the character of Christ, endurance, right?

The character and integrity, having just weights

in your heart to have right balance. All of those

things, if we're growing, we're becoming more

dependent on God working through us. If you're

growing, you're becoming more dependent on his

word and on his presence to transform you. If

you're not growing, that speaks for itself, right?

So what is the key of growing? The key of growing

is the more we trust and the more we lean. receiving

from God's word, receiving from his presence,

receiving and ministering to him in worship and

all the things that are connected to it in honoring

God with our life, our speech, our deeds, our

love, our relationships, all of it. It does what?

It prepares me. Are you ready? For increase.

Are you saying you're a prosperity preacher?

Well, kinda. Not prosperity in finances only.

Fact is, that's the least of the rungs of prosperity.

Are you hearing me? Prosperity in finances is

the first rung on the ladder of increase. It

is not the highest rung. The highest rung is

to move in. the grace gifts of God and the character

of Christ that Christ should be formed in you

and out of you flow the very nature, words, power,

love, forgiveness of Christ. That's the truth.

I don't know. You just say, well, why would you

preach this? How could I not? How could I not

say, I don't want you to increase? In the words

of my friend Jan Venter, how dumb do you have

to be and still breathe to believe that? To believe

that we can't preach an increase. The whole point

is that Christ increase in you. The whole point

is Christ expand you. The whole point is you

keep getting transformed. You're saved. And in

that process of salvation from the day you ask

Christ in your heart, he is now what? Taking

up further residence inside of you. I don't know

one way and one gift that God does not test to

actually increase that gift. The fact is that's

the whole point of 2 Corinthians. Chapter 8 verse

2 Corinthians 8:7

7. Let me just read it to you. In case you thought

I was not quoting the Bible. But as you excel

in everything. In what? So what does God want

us to do? Excel. Turn to somebody and say it's

not a spreadsheet. Excel means what? Growth.

It means increase. It means greater output of

what has been formed in you. See that you excel

in everything. In faith. In speech. In your knowledge.

And in your earnest love. But see also. that

you excel in this grace act of giving as well.

What's he asking? He's asking that every point

of your Christian life, he wants you to increase.

Oh, great three amens on that. That's awesome.

Think about it. He wants you to grow in your

knowledge. Growing your knowledge means what?

You actually have to open books that'll actually

teach you something. Buying a little devotional

for the last 25 years off of Amazon is not gonna

grow you. What grows you? is buying a word study

book that you're going to have to dive into the

scriptures, open up and find out what God was

actually saying in the core of his word to actually

deepen you. Now, devotional can inspire you,

but to grow in the depth of the word of the knowledge

of who Christ is as the one who is over everything

and fills everything means what? You actually

have to dig. It's stretching. Sometimes it's

not fun. Have you ever found that when God asks

you to grow, there's seasons of not fun? Have

you noticed that when the not fun stage of sowing

and the not fun, but when the reaping stage and

you actually get to use something that actually

came from that season, that's when the fun actually

is? That's the whole point. The whole point is

sometimes when I'm reading some of this stuff,

you know, Trent likes some of this stuff. Some

of the early church fathers and they talk like

they were Shakespearean. And I'm like, this is

a labor for me. I have to read over and over.

Sometimes it takes me four times to read something

that I was looking for something and just getting

a perspective. Now, how did they say it? I read

it again and I go to write it down. I gotta read

it again. I gotta write down, why don't you just

talk normal? But the point is I had to dig in

order to get a perspective to get it into the

filter so that when I saw what the revelation

was that God gave them and it helps me have an

understanding. Or when I'm going into the Hebrew

and the Greek and I'm not great at that and Shiloh's

probably gonna be incredible at that. But when

I go there, I have to have help. And help is,

I think, I don't often say this, but thank God

for technology. Because most of the time it irritates

me. But what blesses me was that I tap the button

and it says, pronounce the Greek word. And it

says it right on the computer. And I can, hooked

on phonics, can learn Greek. Or Hebrew. And I

can hear the pronunciation of the words and go.

I would have never said it that way. Trent still

believes I don't say it correctly anyways. But

anyway, the whole point is God wants you to increase.

And that's why we would set time aside here and

say, okay, God, work in us to stretch us that

we would hear you, grow in you. trust you, and

that you would get glory in how you bring the

increase. Listen, 2 Corinthians 9, the next part

of it says this, but he who sows sparingly will

reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will

reap bountifully. So let each one give as he

purposes in his heart, not grudgingly. or of

necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. If

you understand that verse, you'll understand

that that was where Pastor Tim was trying to

get us to last week. He was trying to get us

to understand that's the difference between Cain

and Abel. Cain gave grudgingly, and it was not

accepted even though he gave. He still gave to

the Lord. Do you understand that? You can give

to the Lord. This is gonna smoke some people's

belts here. You can give to the Lord and it not

be accepted. Why? Because you're still giving

to the high priest and the apostle of your faith.

Meaning what? If you gave without being a willful,

stirred heart in faith and trust. You gave then

out of grudging and surplus. You really didn't

love the giving experience, which is saying I

really didn't worship you with the gift. I did

it out of religion. That's a big deal. That's

why God loves a cheerful giver. Why? Because

the cheerful giver speaks to, well, the word

there, cheerful, means hilarious. It's not like

you're gonna give it and you're just having a

complete laughing attack. But it means on the

inside of your heart, you are at complete liberty

like David was. To dance before the ark of the

Lord in your heart as you're giving what the

Lord gave you because you know that he's asked

it of you and now you're partnering with him

together and there is peace and joy to give what

he said. That's the beauty of the offering. That's

the beauty of this offering. Now, why? Because

we believe that all the promises of God are yes

and amen. Okay? We also have to believe the scripture

before it, not just giving cheerfully and joyfully,

but that what we sow, we will indeed receive

a return. We're not saying God is some cosmic

slot machine. We're saying the return is the

work of Christ inside of us. So that's why the

Bible says in Luke 13, what is the kingdom of

God? What shall I compare it to? I will compare

it to like a grain of mustard seed that a man

took and sowed in his garden. Did you catch that?

In order to operate in having mustard seed plant,

you actually have to sow the seed. You actually

have to have a garden. What is the definition

of garden? A definition of garden means it's

cultivated. I don't go out to a piece of barren

land and say, this is my garden. Now, unless

you're saying it by faith, that it will be your

garden. But I don't go out and make an emphatic

statement when nothing has been cultivated, nothing's

been stirred, and say, this is the place of my

garden. The principle automatically implies that

in sowing seed, the ground has already been worked.

Come on. Any gardeners or any farmers here this

morning? No one raising their hand. Okay, one.

Hallelujah. Okay, finally. Come on. Is that right,

Mr. Phelps? Yeah. What? You got to what? You

got to cultivate the garden before you sow the

seed, don't you? Do you understand that that

was the first principle that God asked man to

do right from the very beginning? Is that cultivation

was key before actually experiencing increase.

Why? Specifically, and I gotta hurry here. Specifically,

the scripture says that God withheld the rain

until there was a man to cultivate. The ground.

Let me say that again. If you'll connect this,

this will blow your mind. God withheld the rain

until there was a steward to cultivate the ground.

Because there could not be increase from where

they were at until there was a steward willing

to go beyond the boundaries of where they were

placed into the boundaries of what God had for

them. And if you understand promised land, you'll

understand why God said, this ground is not like

the ground you came from in Egypt. Why? You pumped

your own water from the Nile. This ground only

operates, listen, it's right in the scripture.

This ground only operates by its seasons and

cycles in God, where I send what? The early and

the latter rains to set the seed and to bring

the harvest. It was a absolute, incredible, prophetic

statement of going, if you're going to ask God

for increase, you have to cultivate the ground

of your heart. The Bible says what? We are that

ground. You are, 1 Corinthians 3, 9, you are

God's field. And you have the responsibility

of cultivating your heart. Why? We've spent a

whole year, a year and a half ago, talking about

the four areas of the soil of the heart. Hard,

rocky, stony, and what? Shallow. To where what?

Only good ground produces fruit. The cultivation

is what? to get the ground of my heart in alignment

with what God wants to speak to me and do so

that when I sow a seed from what I hear him say,

we're partnering together for increase. Not just

naturally, please hear me say that, spiritually.

And if I gave you... Listen, it would take me

five, six weeks to go through all of the promises

of first fruits. But one of the promises is what?

I'm sowing a seed for the generations. That's

what Tim talked about. It's the principle of

first fruits. I'm sowing a seed for the blessing

of the Lord to continue on my line. The other

thing is what was connected to what? I'm gonna

cause you to live in the land. And it will yield

as you trust me. That was the one of the main

things for the children of Israel when they got

in the promised land was what? You have to occupy

it and you have to not allow the influences of

the world to get around you. Remain connected

to him out of covenant and you will watch the

land do things that you thought were not possible

from where you used to live. That is the promise

in Christ. I don't know about you, but I live

in that land called Jesus Christ where what he's

done with my life, I didn't think was even possible.

And I'm still in a place, I hope you are too,

of wanting to grow in the destiny and the grace

and the inheritance that Christ has for me. So

that's why when I come to this time of year,

I'm saying, Lord, I understand. There's one thing

that you work on, you say in the scriptures that

you deal with. Where my treasure is, there my

heart is also. I know the bottom rung of that

ladder is you test me in tithes and offerings.

And Lord, I'm coming now in an offering. An offering

has a principle that what I sow, I believe I'm

gonna reap. I'm now asking, Lord, as you are

the Lord of the harvest, to speak to me, what

do you want me to sow? And I don't wanna be a

cane and negotiate with you. Whatever you speak

to me, that's why I'll never put an amount up

here of what you are supposed to do. Why? Because

it has to be a face -to -face relationship with

the Lord of the harvest for you and him. And

what he speaks to you, that's where you begin

to be stretched and you grow. Jenny, if you'd

come to the piano. I'm gonna ask this morning

as Jenny comes and just begins to pray, would

you take a few moments and would you just begin

to ask the Lord? Husbands and wives together.

Take that first fruit commitment card and just

hold it and just begin to ask the Lord, Lord,

what are you saying to me? I'm coming to the

place, Lord, where I live in your promised land.

I live in that place where all the promises of

God are yes and amen. And Lord, now according

to my faith and according to what I'm gonna hear

from you, I open my heart to receive from you.

Lord, you come into this temple. You come into

this field. You see every talent. You see every

grace you've given me. It's you who causes the

increase. I'm reminded of what you said in Deuteronomy.

It is not my power or my strength, but it is

your covenant that gives me the. the power to

increase and succeed. It's what you told Zachariah.

It's not by might. It's not by power. It's not

by my savviness, but it's by your spirit. Lord,

I want to grow in you. And Lord, we take these

moments as a first fruit offering. We recognize,

as it says in Hebrews, consider Jesus. The apostle

and high priest of our faith. We recognize we

are coming to the apostle of our faith. We are

coming to the high priest of our faith this morning.

Lord, you receive that faith that's connected

to what you are speaking to us. Our pastoral

team, our elder team does not receive the faith.

Lord, we receive the gift. As you said, it comes

to the house of the Lord. We set it at your altar.

But Lord, you are the one that stands as the

high priest and the apostle of our faith. And

you are now standing, Lord, to receive the faith

of what you speak to each heart. We now take

a moment and we ask you to speak. We would love

to pray with you.