Preserving the Giving Pattern | Pastor Paul McGee

Man, bless the name of the Lord. Someone said thank you, Jesus,

Amen. Thank the Lord, man, such a

powerful, powerful presence of the Lord in song today, even as

we've lifted our voices and acknowledged him through the

lyrics of song, Amen. I'm thankful for that.

I'm glad I come somewhere and feel his presence.

I it's, it's great to know that he's there, but it's a whole

nother level when you can feel that he is there.

Amen. And so that's comforting.

Amen to our lives. Amen.

We're so happy to be in this month of November and December's

around the corner and all of the holidays and such and the places

that you're going to go eat and the company parties and all the

other things that's going to be taking place.

And just we're forecasting a little bit in the future.

Next month, of course, we have, they'll be the Ignite Christmas

party. They'll be on December the 6th

starting at 6:30 and then on the 12th of December is the Ladies

Christmas Party starting at 6:30.

Then the very next night on the 13th is the adult Christmas

party. Amen.

Starting at 6:30. Everybody say let's party.

All right, Hey, man. And then tonight at six O clock,

we're having a party. OK, Yeah, we kind of walked you

into that one, didn't we? Someone was about right.

Grabbed their napkin and their plate and just Amen.

We are though. Amen.

So thank you. If you'll stand with me this

morning, we'll turn to Leviticus.

Leviticus chapter 23. Amen.

Leviticus 23 · chapter mention

Leviticus chapter 23 and we're going to look at the word of the

Leviticus 23 · chapter mention

Lord and read a few verses of scripture Amen today, glad to

have each one of you with us in God's house and see your smiling

faces Amen Erica and the different ones we have family

from Tennessee that are here and we're just grateful for each and

every individual Amen. We want to as already been made

mentioned, we want to continue in prayer Amen.

For those that are looking at or has already experienced job

losses, this that's bad. Any time of year that that just

takes again, another level at this time of year.

And I think that goes without saying, but I said it anyway,

Amen. So we're going to continue to

pray Amen for them and strengthen them through prayers.

Amen. Hey, man, Leviticus chapter 23.

Leviticus 23 · chapter mention

I'm going to begin reading with verse #9 and 10.

And then I'll skip down and just read another verse again.

Our, our projector is, is kind of on the blitz.

So if it goes away, it's OK. Guess what?

We used to have church without them and people brought their

Bibles to church. I'm just saying, I'm just

letting you know we used to do this with Adam, Amen.

So you know, there were times we didn't even have air

conditioning, right? The elders remember dirt floors.

So we're not intimidated by it's, you know, hiccups, Amen.

Verse #9 The Bible says, And the Lord spake the Moses saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When

you come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap

the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first

fruits of your harvest unto the priests.

Skipping down to. Verse #14 And ye shall eat

neither bread nor parched corn nor green ears until, or if I

say until the self same day that you have brought an offering

into the Lord your God, it shall be a statute forever throughout

your generations in all your dwellings.

Amen. This morning, I don't know what

I'm doing. I don't know if I'm preaching

teaching. I'm going to be talking to you

though, I know that. But I want to talk to us today

about preserving the giving pattern.

Preserving the giving pattern. We'll look at this a little bit

more because we understand through Scripture, we have

taught it and preached it. We've understood the blessing

and giving. The Bible portrays that at

various places throughout the work, the blessing and giving.

It also tells us about the command or the mandate in

giving. Today I'm going to look a little

bit further at that. Giving has a meaning.

Giving is tied to a message. All right.

And so I want to talk about that a little bit today, preserving

the giving pattern. Can we go to the Lord and

prayer? Father God, we're so grateful

today. God, it's in you, Lord God,

Lord, through you, Lord Jesus, whereby we have our very being.

I pray, O Lord, today that you're able to touch every

heart, every soul, Lord and mind God, as we present ourselves to

the Lord today, God, with time and with worship, Lord Jesus and

of resources, God, we return it to you.

We glorify your name and know God, that you're able to do all

things and do them well. And the lovely name of Jesus

Christ that I pray Amen and Amen of the church say Amen and then

you may be seated this morning in Jesus name.

Whether we realize it truly or not, symbols and and types, if

we could call them that symbols and types are are important to

us. They're important to us.

These things, symbols that may have no words even associated

them, but just an Ensign or a symbol of some type.

Many times they they serve as tools to communicate something.

Many of us are aware of this, that going even to a public

bathroom without any letters on it.

A lot of times there's some symbol there that that is

communicating something unto us. We have it all the time.

I know we maybe grow immune to them, but as we walk in this

everyday life, we have it along highways, we have it in

buildings. There's communication constantly

taking place just by emblem or by a symbol there.

There's identity sometimes that that is conveyed by a symbol

even in through symbols there, there is teaching.

We I mean, if if anybody should know that it should be the

generation now, right? They don't even text using

words. It's just all emojis, you know,

they're conveying how they felt and what they eat and everything

just, you know, through a heap of symbols, you know, And I'm

like some archaeologists looking at some of that from my kids,

trying to decipher all the hieroglyphics, you know, of

what? What are they saying to me?

But there's communication, there's, there's teaching that's

taking place. And a lot of times those symbols

that that we see or that we're familiar with, they're they're

connected to some type of larger idea.

They're connected to some type of greater truth.

They're representing something even more than the makeup of

what they are. And so when we see these

different symbols and things, there's, there's feelings that

are invoked right in our lives when we see them.

Or even more importantly, and I'll talk about it here in just

a bit, when we may see certain symbols in our estimation and

maybe truly true, disrespected or misconstrued.

I say that when I say this. And Brother Mason, I don't know

if you have my art up there this morning, if you and show the

first artwork, if it'll work with us.

But the artwork, this artwork, is it not working?

Just let me know. It's not working.

It's up, OK. The artwork is it's a artwork of

a cross crucifix. Did you get a flash of it?

We'll play peek a Boo with it. All right.

It's just it's just a cross. But Ronald McDonald, the famed

there You go is hanging on the cross in the crucifix type

fashion that that you would typically see Jesus hanging on

the cross. This artwork begin to be

displayed in museums in 2018, and I know you can't really tell

the size of that, but it is quite large.

It's quite large work. It was being put on museums and

it went through one of the museums in Israel.

It was being displayed there and it was in an exposition about

religion and faith and how in culture and consumerism is like

all these things together. And so the exposition was really

about how giant corporations are are you have cynical use of of

religious symbols. And it was supposed to show how

Ronald McDonald and I quote, has become a symbol of popular

culture reaching the level of religious worship And Christians

in the area. You can only imagine this being

in the museum in Israel, right? And Jews in the area, you can

only imagine being in that type of context that that they begin

to petition the museum and begin to petition the municipality to

remove what is known as the Mick Jesus.

As a matter of fact, Wadi Abu Nazar, the advisor to church

leaders in the Holy Land, said that such visual imagery is

blasphemous in the Middle East. He said that this display is,

and I quote, an affront to our symbols.

We demand their removal. There was something else on

display in crucifix form. They're not just at the museum,

but from my understanding this was also sold in stores and I

don't know how long it lasts, but it was something else on the

crucifix. It was 10 Jesus Christ.

They also had Barbie as Mary. These were being sold and

propagated around and, and again, artwork and looking at

all these things and I, I can sense from looking at some of

your faces, maybe a little bit that you're just as much as

appalled as perhaps maybe some Jew over in Israel overseeing

such things. That's on the cross, right?

Because when we think of the cross, we think of Christ and we

think of the ultimate sacrifice and we think about a display of

the greatest degree of love and mercy.

And there's admiration. And so even if you're trying to

make a point through our putting, putting Ronald McDonald

on the cross and there's like a little cringe, you know, that

happens. There's a little devalue when

you see the Ken doll, you know, hanging on the cross.

It there's just something that happens, right?

And the reason why this happens is because that cross has been a

symbol, that cross has been a type and, and in these episodes,

it's almost seemingly compromised or, or being abused

to a certain degree because it differs from what we have known

to, to equate with what it represented and what it meant.

There's some in our great America day of the United

States. And they have, they have all

legal rights to do this. But there are people in the

United States today that may burn the American flag and that

has happened here upon the good old USA soil.

And in doing so, they're flexing the right of their First

Amendment of, of free speech. And they can do that.

But just as much as there are some that do that, there are

probably a majority more of Americans that would frown on

such an act taking place. I know that those who do burn

them, they have a legal right. But let me just as a side say

this. Just because something is

legally permissible doesn't mean it's morally right.

So they might do this, but there's others here in America

that they just see that flag and it's simplistic beauty of stars

and stripes. And they see it as a sacred

symbol representing all the sacrifices of soldiers and the

values of freedom that you and I opposed in the unity of a nation

in that flag. And so to them, Brother Fred,

burning that flag is disrespectful.

It's morally wrong. It's a rejection of the very

ideals that our country and our nation was built upon.

Yeah, it's just a flag. It's become equated to

something. I, I don't know about you, but

every once in a while, whenever we go to stores and I, I'm just

let my wife run in and I find a parking spot and I'm sitting

there and I see someone pulled in into a, a handicap spot and,

and they get out and, and there doesn't seem to be anything.

And there's no indication on the license plate.

There's no plaque card in the window.

Something just starts, you know, turning in me a little bit.

I, I start, I start feeling like an injustice is done here just a

little bit. You know, they come to this

handicap spot. There's none of the things that

they should have that proves that they should have that, that

that ability or that privilege extended to them.

And you say, well, brother McGee, why would you be so upset

at that? For that matter?

There's no words that even say handicapped spot, but there's a

symbol, a universally accepted type and symbol that everybody

knows what that means. Everybody knows who that is

reserved for. Someone say symbols matter.

Symbols matter. Moses got in trouble in the

Scripture because he of blatant disobedience to God.

God said, I want you to speak to the rock, and instead of

speaking to the rock, Moses smote the rock not once, but

twice. And in doing so, we understand

through the whole collective compendium of Scripture that he

was breaking a type. He was devaluing a symbol.

He was devaluing, if you will, a type.

Yes, He did it in public in the eyes of all Israel, But rather

than speak to the rock, he smote the rock twice, according to

Numbers 20. And it's when we get to the New

Testament Scripture and there's a reflection back on all of that

First Corinthians 10 and four, that the Bible informs us that

that they drank of that spiritual rock because water

still came forth. They drank of that spiritual

walk rock that followed them. And that rock was Christ.

That rock was an emblem, a symbol, a type of Christ.

And so in Exodus 17, the first time that God told Moses to go

to the rock, he said smite the rock and he did.

And water came out. And that was beautiful because

that was fulfilling the type of that rock be in Christ who was

only smoked once for our sins, smoked once, if you will,

crucified once for humanity, for the salvation of mankind once

and for all. The writer of Hebrews says it

didn't have to be done over and over, but once and for all.

Amen. But now, now that he goes the

second time and is supposed to speak, rather than speaking, he

smites it twice. And this is wrong because Moses,

you are undermining what it is foreshadowing.

You're undermining the type, the role of Christ.

He was only smitten once, and after he smitten once.

Now you don't have to go smite him again.

You just have to talk to him. You're breaking the symbol,

breaking the type. And it mattered to God that

Moses disobeyed. It mattered to him that he

demoralized the type. I feel right.

So if Genesis, we read the book of Genesis and we have all of

the creative matters and we have all the great patriarchs of

Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph, and we have also though

a mark there in Genesis that Genesis is well known for, of

the fall. And then we would get the book

of Exodus. Exodus really centers around the

deliverance of the children of Israel, Amen.

From Egypt. It is, if you will, the theme of

redemption. Then if Genesis was the fall and

Exodus was redemption, then Leviticus would have to be

worship because God was teaching through this book.

How many? When's the last time you read

Leviticus through? A lot of people's Bible reading

plans go topsy turvy once they hit Leviticus, right?

All the different offerings, all the different sacrifices, how

old they're supposed to be when they're supposed to be offered,

You know how much blood EFA this and that and the other.

But all of Leviticus is talking about Christ.

All Leviticus is talking about Christ.

They are types and shadows of Christ.

He, he comes in Leviticus and God is talking to his people

about all these various offerings and prescribed

sacrifices and he's informing them about the different feast

and all of it. It's a way so that the people

could draw nigh to God, right, and be in all of God and be

reverent and respectful of God. As a matter of fact, in our text

this morning, the first verse and second verse of chapter 23,

the Bible says that God was speaking to the people.

He talks about several feasts in chapter 23.

He says these are the feast of the Lord.

They are holy convocations. He even goes to the degree to

say these are my feasts and they're not just his feast

because they are dedicated to God or or to honor God.

They are his feast because in a sense they are illustrating his

role of what he would be in the flesh as Christ Jesus, right?

The Bible even tells us in the New Testament that all these Old

Testament things are written for are in samples.

Jesus even said in New Testament Scripture, he said all of the

laws and the prophets, they are speaking about me.

That's what Jesus said. The writer of Hebrew said that

for the law having a shadow of good things to come, they're not

the substance, it's just a shadow.

They're talking about something that is coming.

And so as we read the book of Leviticus, the whole thing

concerning the offerings, like the whole burnt offering that

was to be offered, the complete animal was offered up as a burnt

sacrifice unto God. It's foreshadowed the row of the

man Christ Jesus. Again, that would be the

ultimate total giving of himself.

Sacrifice, Amen. The Lamb of God once and for all

offered for humanity the peace offering that we read about

Leviticus, its purpose was to maintain and to secure

reconciliation and fellowship with God.

That foreshadowed again Christ Jesus, who Timothy said there's

one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who

would bring peace again, peace that was broken in the garden

back between God and men because God was upset because of sin and

the anger of God, so to speak, had to be satisfied.

And the only way it could be satisfied is God made himself a

body came down and dwelt. That body went to the cross and

died to satisfy. He brought peace.

He's the Prince of Peace the Day of Atonement staring Leviticus

high priest would go into the holies of holies and the Bible

says not without blood. We go with blood in the tone for

the people again foreshadowing your Lord and Savior who after

his resurrection, he's going to take a heavenly trip because the

blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanses us.

The Bible says from all sin Passover lamb, but not born

anybody Passover lamb in Leviticus, right We read it of

also in Exodus. Here it is.

It's the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, the one that John said

here's the Lamb of God crying out those who said here is the

Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.

That Passover was the very the very little crack, if you will,

in the wall leading them out of Egypt that night when the death

of the first born took place coinciding with Passover.

They would go out Israel with a high hand.

All that lamb, the death of that lamb, the consumption of that

lamb, the blood of that lamb on the household, all a type of

Christ. And then?

He came a little later in the verses that I read to you to

discuss with Israel the Feast of First Fruits.

Because according to the law of first Fruits, God told them that

when the harvest of the first fruits come and the first fruits

that that were ripe were particularly the barley harvest

first, then the wheat harvest, and then you had the fruit of

the vine and the oil of the olives.

You, you had all of these, but the first fruits of that barley

harvest. He said whenever they are

starting to ripen, He says, listen to me, children of

Israel, I will not allow you to enjoy any portion of the harvest

until you have brought to me the first fruits of that harvest.

He said you're not to you're not to consume any grain for your

purposes until I'm recognized by what you bring to me.

And you're acknowledging that this has really come from God.

So I'm going to return the first fruit of it back to God, he

says. When you have done that, when

you have acknowledged me and recognized that has come from

me, he says, and return that first portion to me, then I'll

allow you to eat parched corn and, and this and that the

other, this law was given. Here's something I want you to

realize. We're at Leviticus this right

now, this whole episode of Leviticus.

When Leviticus starts, they're at Mount Sinai.

When Leviticus ends, they're at Mount Sinai.

They come out of Egypt. They went through the Red Sea.

They've made their journey to Mount Sinai.

And the Bible says they were at Mount Sinai for about a year as

the word of the Lord and the law of God is being shared with his

people. And this is among the laws that

he is sharing with them. So what are you saying?

I'm saying this. He's talking to them about a

harvest from a land they don't even have yet.

They're not land owners right now.

No, no, no. There they have been nomads.

They're they're pitching tents and they're taking up stakes.

No land has been allocated to them yet.

Yet nonetheless, God is anticipating that they will be

and has promised to them that they will be land owners.

And so he begins at this point to instruct them on what they

should do and how should they handle the grain of their future

promised land. Let me just stop here for a

moment and say today, in a very literal fashion, you can never

plan too early to give. God prioritized it.

He talked to them about it before they had the grain to do

it with, before they had the fields, before they had the seed

to sow to produce it, before they had the land, before they

had done any work for it. God instructed This is how you I

want you to handle the first fruits before they would get

that first roots they'd send people out into into that field

and Kevin whenever they seen certain parts of that grain

starting to bud. Then I've talked about this

year's a long time ago, where they tied, that's where you got

your little cords from your horses, all right, where they

tied that red ribbon around the first fruits marking that it was

the first to bud. And so they would do that.

And so when it was harvest time, they would go out and it would

be those bundles or those sheets, those bundles that they

put together that they would cut first, right?

And they wouldn't delay in doing this, the Scripture, Exodus 22

and verse 29. I got a point today.

Just just hang with me. I've been around here for a

little while, so welcome home. Amen.

He says this is what the scripture says.

Thou shalt not delay, or if I say delay, to offer the first of

thy right fruits and of thy liquors, which it is, it's

sparked speaking about the products of the fruit of the

vine and the oil. Whenever it speaks of that, he

says the first born of thy son shalt thou give to me all the

all the first fruits and the first born all the 1st right of

the increase that was brought into their life.

They were to give and they were not to delay.

Someone say don't delay, don't do it.

If you delay, you fall. You fall to the mindset of Cain

even in scripture who Abel brought a firstling of his

flock. But the Bible says in process of

time that Cain brought the fruit of the ground.

He delayed, he delayed, he said bring that, bring that first

fruit unto the Lord. This is in part first and we'll

get into this, but first fruits isn't 100% identical with

tithing, but first fruits are the first of the time they're

included within it. That's that's and I've talked to

people, we've had men's group and everything.

Someone never understood. That's one of the reasons why we

pay off our gross and not our net, because before the

government's touched it, before Social Security's touched it,

before my health insurance touched it, all of that was

increased to me. All of that was mine to begin

with. Where the government could have

got any. It's the first fruits, he says.

Don't delay, Don't delay in giving the first fruits.

Look what it says. Proverbs 3:00 and 9:00 this goes

on. This goes on through Scripture.

He says honor the Lord with thy substance and with the first

fruits of all. Everybody say all.

That's one of the biggest words in the English language.

With all thine increase, so shall thy barns be filled with

plenty, And thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

All thine increase if it's increased to you.

The first fruits belong to God. Is that right, Fred?

I remember years ago, whenever you first started your business,

you talked to Bishop pastor at that time talking about how, how

we do this tithing stuff, even for businesses, right?

Because this seems like a, a, a, a, a peculiar thing.

And, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but we tithe off the

profit. What is increased to you, right?

What is increased to you? You know, we and I, maybe I'm

fanatical, but if we have yard sales at our house, we're paying

ties. I get gift cards.

Although it's not money, it has a monetary value.

It's increased to me. I can eat on that.

I'm paying ties off of it. It's just increase.

Amen. Well, he says don't delay.

Why? He says because the if you delay

in that, he said I can't lift my hand for the blessing of all the

rest. He says do it of all by

increase. Look, there are various ways we

honor God. We honor God with our time.

We honor him with our lifestyle. We though also honor God with

our substance, particularly the first fruits of all our increase

and know well that in all of this God is first on the giving

list. God is first on the giving list,

not last. We give him first of all our

increase. And do you recognize for the

maze? Can you put back up verse #10?

Verse #10 is the result of verse #9 he says, So shall thy barns

be filled. Your barns will be filled

because you've honored God with your substance.

Your barns will be filled because you gave the first

fruits of your increase. You'll be filled with plenty.

Your presses will overflow. You'll burst out a new one.

That'll happen because of first fruits.

That's the blessing we talk about.

That's the blessing we talk about Deuteronomy 26 and 10.

And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the lamb.

Note this next phrase which thou, O Lord, has given me.

Do you get that? I'm bringing to God what He has

given. When we slip into this mode of

thinking, we're owners rather than managers.

There's not one thing I have that Paul McGee has got by his

own strength or by his own power.

My pillow I lay my head on at night.

It's been given to me by God. That house at 732 Ficklin

Street, I know we're paying money still for it, but it's

been given to me by God. That car my daughter has and the

two that we have, and that motorcycle I have, it's been

given to me by God. That food that's placed upon my

table that I placed between my teeth, it's been given to me by

God. That health that I have, it's

not because of all my exercise. That probably helps.

And I'm a steward that has been given to me, my God, I'm not a,

I'm not a owner of any of this stuff that I have.

It is God's. And so when I bring my first

fruits, I'm just returning to God.

What is God's? I don't determine what I do with

that. The owner determines what's done

with that. And there's a blessing in it

which thou, O Lord, has given me, and thou shalt set it before

the Lord thy God. I love this and worship before

the Lord thy God. How many times the brother makes

it? We said we're going to give

right now. And this is another part of our

worship service. They're bringing what God had

given to them. And it's connected with right

here worship. I'm bringing it.

I'm giving it worship. Look at the second Chronicles

31, five. I still got some preaching to

do. God help me or teaching or

whatever it is I'm doing. First Chronicles 31 and five.

And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of

Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine and

oil and honey, and of all the increase of the field and the

tithe of all things, they brought in abundantly.

This is where we get at. You know, you got to ask

yourself the question as you read that, is the writer

distinguishing first fruits from tithing, or is he identifying

tithe as first fruits? And that's the reason why I say

as I read other versions, that what I'm reading here is that

really first fruits were in part a major or a portion of the

overall temp that was brought to God.

They were the first part, if you will, of the time.

The NET Bible says it like this. When the Attic was issued, the

Israelites really contributed the initial portion of their

grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their

fields. They brought a 10th of

everything, which added up to a huge amount.

The NIRV says it like this. The order went out right away.

The people of Israel begin to give freely.

They gave the first share of the harvest of their grain, fresh

wine, olive oil and honey. They also gave the first share

of everything else, their fields, produce.

They brought a large amount. It was a 10th of everything, so

it seems, although the reasoning is the first fruits was a part

or the first of the complete tithe.

And God said in Leviticus when you do that I'll give you access

to everything else, all the other grain that's in the field,

even some that's maybe yet still to ripe.

I'll give it all the rest to you.

Someone say, man, let's back this up just a little bit more.

Everybody doing OK, I've got some Bible to read Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 26 · chapter mention

chapter 26 and get these glasses out.

I might need them. Bishop.

I think it's going to come. The old and old man eyes are

even going to overtake the new Bible.

Read with me if you will, just a little bit.

Israelites here are recalling their pre three promised land

days. All right, verse 26 and verse 5

Bible says and the Lord shall speak and say before and thou

shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God.

Assyrian. This is what they were to say.

Assyrian ready to perish was my father when he went down into

Egypt. They're reflecting backwards.

OK and sojourn there with a few Remember they went into Egypt

with just 70 souls I believe it was scripture says.

But they came and became their a nation in which they did great

mighty and population. The Egyptians evil entreated us

and afflicted us and laid upon us hard bondage, right.

The brick and the straw having to make brick with straw.

And they're they're they're pounding that out with their

feet, clay and straw. I mean, man, just imagine how

dry your feet would even just get.

Can you imagine you're in clay, you're pounding that out day by

day, the sunshine and you probably got some cracks and

stuff overtime doing that, you know, and this they're going

through all this hard task maskers with whips and such.

Verse 7 And when we cried into the Lord God our Father, the

Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our

labor, and our oppression. Verse 8 And the Lord brought us

forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm,

with great terribleness, and with signs and with wonders.

And he brought us into this place and that, given us this

land, even a land that flow up with milk and honey.

And now, behold, look at this. And now, behold, I have brought

the first fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hast given

me, and thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship

before the Lord thy God. And thou shalt rejoice in every

good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee.

And into thy house thou and thy the Levite, and the stranger

that is among you. Do you understand the reflection

right here? This is the the prescription of

Scripture that whenever they brought that first fruit, it was

required to them that they would remember.

When they brought that first fruit, it was required to them

that they would remember. Our fathers were went down to

the Egypt. They were few.

They were just a meager group. They suffered affliction, they

suffered heartache, they suffered sorrow.

They suffered all these things. But when God brought them out,

they came out as a mighty nation.

And when God brought them out, he brought them out with a high

hand. And when God brought them out,

he brought us to this land, a land that flows with milk and

honey, that's lush and plus. And now we have the privilege of

farming this land and getting a harvest.

Therefore I'm bringing my first fruit.

Where are they saying we didn't get to where we are by

ourselves? What are they realizing?

We didn't always have a land. We didn't always have grain.

We weren't always a free people. Come on.

Funny, every time you bring that offering, you are in essence

saying the same thing. Every time you bring it and you

acknowledge God and bringing it, you're saying the same thing.

God. I've not always been in this

position like I am right now. I've been at different levels,

but not in this position like I am right now.

I acknowledge it's because of you.

I acknowledge that it's come from you.

I thank you, Jesus. Am I doing all right?

No, man, you understand, I read some of the history of Joe, see

if it's concerning this giving of the first fruit, and he tells

from observation of how eager the people were to prepare and

to offer their first fruits. It's quite compelling.

They knew, and we know, according to Genesis, the

evening in the morning was the first day.

It's the way that the Jews reckoned their day from evening

to morning, not morning to evening.

And so from the evening to the morning.

So they would know that a new day was starting in the evening.

And there would be three men with sickles in their hand out

in the field where those bundles of sheets were that were denoted

as first fruits. And they would be waiting there,

Amen. Just waiting there for the sun

to set for the day of First Fruits to start.

Do you understand that reef? It'd be like you're not having a

key to this church and wanting to clean the carpet and waiting

outside early when you knew I was going to arrive to open the

doors. You're like, I just can't wait

to sweep that carpet. That's how it was, brother Fred.

It's not. So it turned.

First Fruits is like, OK, well, let's get it together and get

our sick on our basket and get. No, no, no.

They were already waiting. I'm just waiting for the sun to

go down because as soon as it turns the day of first fruits,

I'm going to be in that field with my sickle.

I'm not going to delay. I'm not going to wait.

I'm not going to wait for the second.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They would ask some questions.

This is according to history. They would be sitting there and

they would begin to ask. They could see with their own

eyes, but it didn't matter. They would ask, Has the sun went

down yet? Has the sun went down yet?

They would ask with this sickle. With this sickle.

They would ask into this basket. Into this basket they would ask,

Shall I read? What is that?

It's the anticipation. It's a desire.

It's a what? Oh, yeah.

You want to talk about a cheerful giver?

Yeah. Is it time yet?

Is it time yet for the offering into that plate with this

wallet? Shall I reap?

Ready. OK.

But just as all those other things in Leviticus point to

Christ, Dave, atonement, full burn, offering grain offering,

sin offering trespass offering, Passover, the feast of first

Fruits, is a symbol, a type of emblem that models Christ as he

was offered up and more importantly, shared, Reaped, if

you will. By his resurrection.

All right. Come on, now.

Come on. Because the mirroring is this.

If it wasn't for the first chief, his resurrection, there

is no possibility of the rest of the harvest.

The first seat has to be offered in order for there to be release

of the rest of the harvest. Oh, somebody's picking up what

I'm putting down right now. As a matter of fact, in New

Testament scripture, Christ arose from the dead on the very

day of first fruits. Peculiar how it all took place

because the month of the Bib, also sometimes called Nissan,

the 14th of that month is whenever the Passover lamb is

sacrifice. That's when Christ was

sacrifice. Then the first day of Unleavened

bread would take directly after the day of Passover.

In the instance of Christ, whenever he was crucified was

the the 15th and that's unleavened bread when there's no

yeast in the bread, so the bread can't rise.

And that's the day that nothing happened.

He's in the grave. There's no rising, there's no

Levin, there's nothing's taking place but the description.

The Old Testament was this first fruits always took place on the

Morrow after the Sabbath that came after Passover.

It so happens that in Jesus day Sabbath was right after

Passover. Remember they said we got we got

to go see if these bodies are still alive on the cross.

If not, we need to break their legs.

Why? Sabbath is coming and no one's

allowed to be on the cross during the Sabbath.

Even the women who they're going to prepare the spices and stuff

for Jesus. They did, but they couldn't go

the very next day because it was the Sabbath.

This is it's so great. And so they couldn't do that.

So they go the next morning with all their stuff and that is the

day, the first day. Then after the Sabbath, they go

to a empty tube. Why?

Because it's first fruits, there had to be a sheaf.

Christ, if you will. What's the type?

It's got to be a sheaf that's offered back up into the Lord.

Someone say Amen. The Bible even states it

plainly. We have a New Testament

scripture. The Bible talks about how even

Christ, our Passover lamb, was sacrificed for us.

That's in the New Testament. This also is in the New

Testament. First Corinthians 15 and 20.

It says plainly, but now is Christ risen from the dead and

become the first fruits. You hear that You don't have to

turn the letter sideways or diagonals Become the first

fruits of them that slept everybody.

OK so here's what I noticed and this has been stewed in my

spirit since February and all the times I've preached about

giving, talk about the blessing of giving and the mandate of

giving. I've never connected the message

of giving because the first fruits is a symbol and the type

of the resurrection. And we would almost throw

daggers for people burning the flag because it had meaning and

look sad upon to make Jesus and again, Jesus Christ on the cross

because the cross had meaning. First fruits have meaning too,

and it's connected to his resurrection.

But my way to participate that not just in getting the Holy

Ghost, but through the the the increase in the first of my

increase is my giving and acknowledging that that came

from him, That if I don't give, I'm messing with a type and I'm

messing with a model that illustrates Christ's

resurrection as the first fruit. Someone say, man, I don't think

there is anybody here to make mockery of the cross or degrade

it because it symbolized something that I don't think you

do. That ultimate sacrifice.

Sometimes in my delay, sometimes in my reluctance, I am devaluing

the resurrection. Right, OK, Malachi said.

Bring all your ties into the storehouse, that there may be

meat in my house. Understanding that there is a

type tells me that that just exceeds just a meat offering or

a grain offering or a first born or a first fruit.

Because he went on to say, he said to not bring the tithe in

the offering is to rob God. What?

Rob God, Yeah. Because when you bring your

first fruit, right, you're bringing that to God and you're

acknowledging him by that. Well, the sake of Christ was

this. He would be the first fruit of

all those that were resurrected. And as the first fruit in the

sheaf, guess what? He went back to belong to God.

He told them, listen, I don't want to lose everybody in all of

this, but Christ came from God and he went back to God.

I realize it was just flesh, but it's still belonging to the

Lord. It came from God.

He came. He came from God, and it was to

return from God. He came from God, but it was for

the benefit of mankind. And so as he returned, it's

thankfulness that they got something that they didn't have

on their own. They got something they didn't

have on their own. And so he comes back through

resurrection as the first fruit in the sheaf back to God with

the acknowledgement, thank you, someone say Amen.

And yet it's from that point forward, we will see in the

future, yes, that God will send his Son Christ Jesus.

He will say that he will return to the Father, Amen.

But if you don't have that gift of first fruits, that type of

the resurrection is broken. Listen, without a resurrection,

without the first fruits whom Christ was, there's nothing then

returning to God, so to speak. Everybody OK, ride with me here

for a moment. But it goes deeper than that.

We off time talks about Passover and we're Pentecost, right?

And we talk about the prefix on Pentecost, PENT pente, meaning

50. And we off time say that

Pentecost happens 50 days past Passover.

And that was exactly true for whenever Christ died, buried,

and was resurrected because you had Sabbath taken right after

Passover. But notice in the real world,

first fruits don't always happen on the third day because the

only it doesn't have a specified date.

The only of those that have a specified date is Passover, the

14th of a bib, the 14th. It's the only one with a

specific date. Everything else relates to that.

First fruits happens the day after the Sabbath.

That's between Passover, the first Sabbath that happens after

Passover. So Passover might could hit the

day right after, two days after, three days after, four days

after is everybody following me? But the day after the Sabbath is

first fruits. So the real is this.

It's in your Bibles. We've maybe overlooked it and

bumbled it up for years. But in your Bibles, in Leviticus

Leviticus 23:15

23 verse 15, it continues with our story here that we've been

reading. And now it switches from talking

about the Feast of first fruits to the feast of weeks, which is

the feast of Pentecost. And it says, And ye shall count

unto you from tomorrow after the Sabbath, which would be the day

of first fruits, from the day that he brought the sheaf.

It even details it of the wave offering.

Seven Sabbath shall be completed.

It's going to be 77, that's 49 until the Morrow.

Even the 7th Sabbath shall be numbered 50 days.

And he shall offer new meat offering unto the Lord.

So it's true that Pentecost happened 50 days after Passover,

whenever Jesus died, buried, and resurrected.

But the real thing that scripture is telling us is 50

days after the Sabbath, after the Passover.

You count, and that is where you have Pentecost.

Please follow me very closely. The only way you have any type

of timetable for Pentecost is first fruit.

Pentecost doesn't have a particular date.

It's dated in reference to 1st fruits.

Let's take the type and elevate it here.

The outpouring of the Spirit is tied to the resurrection.

You have no point of reference. You start counting the first day

on 1st fruits, but first fruits then is backward connected to

being the Sabbath after the first Sabbath after Passover.

Have I say Amen. You want to talk about breaking

types when we felt to give, which is a type of first fruits,

a type, if you will, of the resurrection.

When we fail to give, we're missing with a type of knowing

when Pentecost is happening. The Jews called this, Brother

Mason verified this. They call it counting the Omer

because a sheaf in the Hebrew was that very word Omer, a man,

and it means a portion. And they would count day number

one day #2 until Pentecost. It's the counting of the Omer.

All right. And so we have this tie then to

Pentecost. 2 first fruits to the outpouring.

You start messing with. We either believe types and

symbols are important or we don't.

Either going to defend the flag, then you'll defend first fruits.

So if we fail on our giving, we're starting to demoralize.

Mistrew, Mistrew, even Pentecost.

That's dependent upon first fruits.

Did not John even say it was in that last day of the feast.

The Bible says and he was saying if you are thirsty coming to me

and I'll give you a drink and that that that parentheses that

phrase in parentheses gives a little more information of John

739 and says this may keep by the Spirit which that believe on

him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given.

Why? Because that Jesus was not yet

glorified. The glorification happens when

the first sheep is presented in the heavens.

Everybody doing all right? I'm trying to tie some stuff

together for you. That's the reason why after the

resurrection in John chapter #20 and verse #17 he meets Mary, and

Mary goes forth to touch him, and he says, don't touch me.

Yet Jesus said to her, Touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to

my Father. What?

The sheep hadn't been presented, but he says go to my brethren

and saying to them, I send to my father and your father to my God

and your God. What's he saying?

He said I'm in glorification mode right now.

I'm going up to be presented. But John said the Holy Ghost

ain't given because firstfruits hasn't happened yet.

It was that important, and I'm not getting to this point.

You all think we have brains, right?

We can think through this. I realize that if we don't give

the resurrection, that still happened and the outpouring of

the spirit is still taking place, all right?

Just the same as someone burns a flag.

You still have freedom and liberties and the ideals of

America. But it's the principle.

Although you still have all those freedoms, you're not going

to burn the flag because there's a principle that means

something. There's a message there.

Likewise with our giving that we don't delay, but we there's a

there's a message there. Same reason I'm not going to get

in that handicap spot. Although my car would easily

pull into one, it has the ability to do it and I can go

inside sometimes totally unscathed.

I'm not going to do it because there's a principle there.

Moses can get in trouble for striking a rock twice, and it's

just a rock. There's a message there.

There's a principle there. Staying with me.

I don't know if I'll get through this.

We'll get there. It troubled me because I seen

Brother Mason stand back there, and then I realized, well, the

projector ain't working. That's the reason why he's

standing back there years ago. I told you the support years

ago, I was preaching a camp meeting in Georgia.

First time ever preaching the camp meeting in Georgia.

First night, man, I am sweat and I'm preaching.

I'm going. Somebody got up on the platform,

start playing the keyboard and I thought that was my cue that I

need to shut up. I brought it to the end only to

find out they were kind of going to like ebb and flow with me

like you would, you know, an African American church.

I missed the cue and it stopped. I thought maybe I am right in my

something I'm going to see. So Christ resurrected, He sent

his Spirit. But we give first because it

means something. It's tied to something

meaningful. If you delay first fruits, in

the literal case, you've delayed Pentecost if the first sheaf

isn't. If it if the first sheaf of the

harvest doesn't go, no one else can be harvested.

If there isn't first fruits, there isn't a reference point

for counting the days, the Pentecost.

It's just kind of lingering there in oblivion, always

waiting, always coming, but never arriving.

So our giving today, it illustrates then our our

acknowledgement that the gift came from God, much like the

resurrection acknowledges that Christ came and was God's.

And if we fail to give, yeah, in Malachi he also said that to

prove him now he'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you

out a blessing that you have not room to receive it.

He told him that they would do that, that he would rebuke the

devourer. Christ would.

God would rebuke the devourer for them.

That's the blessing. He had the mandate through

scripture from Old Testament, the New Testament, even the New

Testament when they were tithing of the coming and the Anderson.

And he says these you ought to done talking about justice and

mercy, but not have left these undone.

And those were herbs. They were just small little

herbs, but they tied to the herbs.

He didn't say you shouldn't have done that all together.

He said these you should have done but also not left that

undone. You were right and tied into

that. We have all these.

I think what we got to get to is this.

We fail to give. We break the type.

Theoretically, it's Stein in Pentecost, and who would want to

tamper with the type of the resurrection?

Sister Sheila, you go come tonight with a cross in your

hand and even have crucifix of Christ on it and do a chainsaw

massacre out here in front of the church.

Probably not. We might even get some news

attention over that. Why?

Because there's a message there. It means something.

Everybody feeling what I'm conveying here today.

We acknowledge him and I don't have any access to the rest of

the harvest. No outpouring, no resurrection.

There's no outpouring. There's no resurrection and so

symbols can carry meaning and the principle of first fruits is

no exception. Of all those things he told in

Leviticus pointed to him. I got to understand that I'm

going to offer my first. If we in bow our heads, I'm

going to offer my first. I'm going to offer my best, the

harvest before anything else. So I'm going to highlight the

importance that I'm going to honor him first, go demonstrate

my trust in Him, and giving this first my gratitude, my worship.

I'm going to recognize that I'd even wouldn't have this if it

weren't for him. So I'm going to return what He's

given to me back to him, and in doing so, preserve a powerful

type of Christ as the first fruits, the sheaf of the

resurrection, without whom there is no counting.

There is no reference point even for Pentecost means something.

It means something just the same as Christ washing the disciples

feet, right? The taking, the communion, the

body and the blood. And he tells them as often as

you do this, do this in remembrance of and as he's

washed his feet, he says, as I've done to you, do also unto

what in the world There's a message there.

It means something, you hear me? We can write it off, just throw

there. But there's a message there.

And if we will protect the values of other symbols in this

life that we say have meaning and messages, then we need to

protect and value the message and the meaning of first fruits

that we would preserve the giving pattern.

I invite you today to an altar that basically says this.

As you come, Lord, I'm going to endeavor not to fail in

acknowledging you for what I have.

My increase, it may be material goods, monetary goods, health,

wealth, job. I'm intelligent, Brother McGee.

That's the reason why I'm at the level I am at my job.

Well, let's back that up a little bit.

Let's back up. Who created those synapses in

your brain and gave you the ability to understand for a

moment? Well, I've been to college.

I mean, Brother Mason among any of us, he would surely could

stand for the Lord. I've got AI got an educational

doctorate the house that he has still came from God, money in

his pocket still came from God, the health that he's secured and

still came and so he brings first fruits.

I'm going to acknowledge you. I'm going to acknowledge you.

We we break the type we we break days for counting to Pentecost

we and it just all starts getting muddled.

I'm going to give. I wish somebody would give right

now, give of themselves. Give some first fruits to the

Lord, give of themselves. Give of themselves, man.

If you got some monetary means, if God's given you increase, you

need to bring first fruits to the Lord.

This is this is not a money campaign for the church.

This is a principle of heaven. Church is doing fine.

I have no complaints. Church is doing great whether

people give or don't give. It's just the way that it's

going. I'm just thanking God.

But what I'm saying tonight is this.

Yes, giving will procure blessing that you can get no

other way but by giving. And yes, there's a mandate for

giving. But even now there is a message.

There's meaning in what we are doing.

Let's call on him right now. Let's call on him right now.

Lord, I'm going to bring that first Lord even of my tithe.

I'm not going to delay. I'm not going to be delinquent.

I'm not going to forget where it came from.

I'm going to remember I was a slave in a strange land.

I'm going to remember I had test masters on my back.

I'm going to remember you brought me out of bondage.

I'm going to remember you gave increase to our people and you

gave us this land and you gave us this, and you gave us this

and you gave us this. And I bring just a little

testament today of what's yours. Acknowledging this came from

God. That's what His resurrection

did. He came from God.

He had go to God, but he benefited humanity.

He benefited us. That makes sense.

I don't know if you have an appropriate song for anything

right now, but let's just be mindful of him.

Just prove him now. As Malachi said, just prove him

now and see. Prove him now concerning the

blessing. Prove him now concerning the

mandate. Prove him now concerning the

meaning of the message. Atonement, Hoburn, offering

peace offerings and offering trespass, offering the complete

sacrificial system of the book of genitals of the Leviticus.

Prove him, prove him, prove him. Yeah.