Money! It’s Not About the Money! ~ First Things First ~ #4

Money! It’s Not About the Money! ~ First Things First ~ #4

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Putting God first in our lives is not a suggestion, but a requirement.
If He is not first, then He is not the Lord of my life.

What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment in the law? (Mat.22:37 Ex.6:5)

If God is first in my life, then everything will come into order.
If He isn’t, then nothing will come into order: my marriage, my job, my family, my finances, my ministry.

A major baseline is the understanding that I am a steward of His assets He has placed in my life to manage for Him. Kingdom thinking – Great commission thinking has to continually run in the background.

Today I want to talk about firstfruits or tithing and offerings.
Putting God first in my money - But it’s not about the money.

Text: Proverbs 3:5-10
Ex 23:19 “The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God…”
Lev 27:30 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord.”
Mal 3:10-11 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts;

Firstfruits = the first of any increase, the first of the crops, of the animals, of the income - God says that belongs to Him.
Firstfruits in Hebrew literally means “promise to come.”
Tithing is bringing our firstfruits – 10% - to God.

I want you to notice the wording both in Ex.23 & Mal.3 – it says to “bring.”
Not give, but “bring.” Why? Because when I tithe, I’m not giving, I’m returning to God what is already His that He put in my care.
Tithe is 10%, anything I give beyond that is an offering.

Illustration – If I loan my car to someone, when they bring it back, it’s not giving, it’s returning.
We HAVE to keep in mind stewardship – He entrusted me with HIS money – but it’s not about the money, it’s about my heart.

Tithing is an act of Faith

When I bring the firstfruits, the tithe to God, I don’t know if the future will bring me more or not.
When my sheep has a lamb, the first one is His.
God didn’t say, when your sheep has 10 lambs, the 10th one is His – No the first one is.
By tithing, I am saying, “God I recognize You first. I am putting You first in my life, and I trust You to take care of the rest of the things in my life.”

Tithing doesn’t activate His blessing, faith does.

Tithing is not an OT Law, it is a heart principal that is throughout the whole bible – old & new.

Remember when the children of Israel started into the promised land, God said the city of Jericho was His, because Jericho was a “firstfruit city.”
All the riches of this first city belonged to Him, the rest of the cities they conquered were theirs, but the firstfruits belong to God.

What happened when Achan ignored God’s instructions? (Jos.7)

Here’s some fun information: In observing the “feasts of Israel.”
“Passover” is followed by the “feast of un-leavened bread,” followed by the “feast of firstfruits.”

In chapter Joshua 5:10, just before God told them how to take the city, it was the time of Passover. They celebrated Passover, which is followed by the “feast of unleavened bread.”
That places the falling of Jericho during the season of the “feast of firstfruits.”

Do you remember what it was that intimidated the original spies when they first checked out the promised land? Giants.
The Giants in the land intimated and kept the Israelites from the promised blessings of God.
I believe one of the giants that intimidate and keep people from God’s blessings has to do with the Giant of finances.

Mal 3:10-11 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts;