RETURN TO HOLINESS: Unthankfulness – God Must Be First
July 9, 2023

Sunday, July 9, 2023 AM
RETURN TO HOLINESS: Unthankfulness – God Must Be First
Mike Teel, Pastor

Focal Passage:

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.” —Exodus 13:1-2

12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. —Exodus 13:12-13

THE FIRSTBORN MUST BE OR

1. What example do we see in the sacrifice of the firstborn?
–Clean or unclean animal.
–The clean sacrificed for the uncleaned to redeem the unclean!

2. Clean for the unclean.
–All born in sin.
–Jesus was born clean.

3. Giving the first to God and how it relates to finances.
–The clean was sacrificed for the unclean so we could be redeemed.

THE FIRSTFRUITS OFFERED

1. Laws of the Firstfruits:

19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. —Exodus 23:19

9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. —Proverbs3:9-10

–The firstborn must be offered by faith.

2. Applying to Stewardship:
–City of Jericho – Joshua 6 & 7
–Cain and Able – Genesis 4:3-5

3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. —Genesis 4:3-5

3. Attributes of God:
–God cannot change.
–God cannot think like us.
–God will not accept an offering that is not first.

THE MUST BE FIRST

1. Tithing is under the law.

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. —Matthew 23:23

2. Grace exceeds the law.

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

—Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28

3. The principle of the First.

14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ —Exodus 13:14-15

–The Principle of the FIRST: First Born, First Fruits, First of Financial Blessing

LIVE IT OUT

–What point from the message really stuck out to you most?
–Is God first in your life?
–What are some of the areas you haven’t put God first?