R1682 God’s First Fruits, Pt.2

God has an encouraging word for you and me today, through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, and a message called God's First Fruits. Today we're sharing the completion of this powerful message from Dr. Don Wilton from 1 Corinthians 15 called God's First Fruits. And as we open the word together, it's our prayer that each of us would take a moment and understand that when we put God first, everything gets better. Our sin nature, our human nature, wants us to think about what's in it for us. But instead, if we change our perspective by spending time in God's word every single day, it changes our outlook as well.

Are you spending time in God's word every day? We have wonderful resources that will help you do that. You can sign up on our website right now for a free email from Dr. Don that will help you do that. It's online at www.tewonline.org, that resource and many more.

It's www.tewonline.org. And now today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. Israel is critical. This little tiny little nation of Israel, God established his covenant with Israel, said you are my people. I will bless you and keep you. I will protect you. I will put my hand upon you. I will be gracious unto you so long as you obey me and keep my commandments. But my covenant with you is everlasting. And what God is trying to show us is that the nation of Israel is a precursor to the nation of God's people that will come as we see that happens through Jesus Christ. And we'll get there in just a minute. And he shows us that the nation of people are in fact his first fruit of his harvest. And God's going to bless them. You can go back and do a history of this tiny little nation surrounded by enemy.

Figure it out for yourself. It's an amazing story. Number three, third description of first fruits. All believers, if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, you're in this description. In James chapter one and verse 18, the Bible says of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. And what God is telling us there is that because we have repented of our sin and by faith trusted in Jesus Christ, that he has proclaimed us to be the first fruits of all of his creation. Which means that God has his intention is to bless us because we have a unique and special status with God our Heavenly Father.

Description number four, I'm sure you figured out by now each one of these could be a series in and of itself. Description number four of first fruits is the Holy Spirit. Romans chapter eight and verse 23. We ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our bodies. What is Jesus trying to tell us there about the Holy Spirit? What he's trying to tell us there is that the Holy Spirit is the first installment for our future. In other words, what God is telling us is that the first status fruit of our being is in fact sealed or pledged by the pledge of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

It's the stamp of God's approval in our lives because we are his first fruits and that is sealed by the Holy Spirit. One more, which is the greatest of all. The passage I just read to you, there are five descriptions of first fruits. Number one, the best of the harvest.

Number two, the nation of Israel. Number three, all believers, which means you and I are all included in this description. Number four, the Holy Spirit, the pledge of God in our lives, the deposit which guarantees us in the presence of a holy and a righteous God. And number five, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He has the culminating point of God's first fruits. And what does the Bible tell us? Well, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we have this beautiful description of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says Christ Jesus is the first fruits of those who have died.

Now what does that mean? Why is he the first fruits? He was and is God's best. Who is Jesus by the way? Jesus is the only begotten son. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

That word begotten there means unique, one of a kind. There's no one like the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the son of God. He is God's son. So what status did he occupy in terms of God the Father? The absolute very prime best. Abraham way back in the Old Testament was instructed to go and sacrifice Isaac.

He said, I'll do it. Isaac was his absolute best. Isaac was to Abraham his first fruit. But he didn't even rise to the level of Jesus because God said, no, not even Isaac can suffice when it comes to the resurrection of the dead.

Only Jesus can. Jesus was the first fruit of the very absolute best of the Godhead. And he gave him and he gave him first. And he said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

And what is the significance of that? Well, Jesus went to the cross and he was buried. And on the third day, by the power of God, he was raised from the dead. And then after 40 days of appearing and demonstrating his resurrection power and his body, he ascended to be seated at the right hand of the Father.

And here Paul is reminding us, he's saying to us, listen, because of the resurrection and because Jesus is the first fruits. Now you all get blessed. You get blessed. I get blessed. Here's what happens. This is how you get blessed, fellow believers. When your time comes to go to heaven, you're going to close your eyes in this life and instantly, boom, boom, boom, just like that. Instantly, God's angels are going to pick you up and are going to give you a royal escort to be seated at the feast table of the king. Somebody say, Amen. How did that happen?

How did that happen? Because Christ is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. In Adam, we all die, but in Christ, we've all been made alive. Well, you might say to me today, well, pastor, what kind of blessings come to us?

Well, there's several passages that tell us of the blessings of giving first of our fruits to God. Did you get this? Are you listening today?

Is there someone here today? It's just, well, folks, let's get this. Church, let's get this. Get this, people.

Young people, get this. Your talents, your time, your tithe, your giving, your duty before God. He wants first of your fruits.

That's what he wants. So if you go to Exodus 23, for example, you can extrapolate there five blessings of first fruits. I think I've got six. Six blessings of first fruits.

Let me give them. This is what the passage in Exodus tells us. Here are six blessings that God promised you would get when you give to him first. Number one, angels. Exodus 23 and verse 20. By the way, I'm really wanting to preach on angels. All my conversations with Dr. Billy Graham for 25 years, I cannot tell you how many times we talked about angels. I've got no doubt in my mind that God sends his angels over us. The reason some of you are alive right now, you didn't die in that car crash, you didn't just in God's angels. God says, you give me your first fruits, I'll send you my angels.

Number two, voice. Exodus 23 verse 22. Bible says that when we give our first fruits, God will do two things. He will speak up for us and he will stand up for us. You'll have a voice. You'll have the strong arm of God. God will speak up for you and stand up for you.

Excuse me. You won't make it through this life without God speaking for you and standing up for you. You and I can go to law courts, we can fuss, we can elect all the people we want to. If God's not for us, we've got a problem. Bible says you give your first fruits, you've got God's voice, his authority.

Number three, provision. Exodus 23 verse 25. Bible says you honor God with the first fruits.

You give to him first of your money, of your heart, your time. He said, here's what I'll do for you. I'll make sure that your food and water is blessed. Any questions?

It's what he says. Number four, big one, healing. Karen and I went all the way to the state of Mississippi on Tuesday. Just to go and pray with a lady, it's got brain and lung cancer. What real hope and real reason do I have to pray for someone with healing? If I don't believe what God says, but he says, make sure your fruit is delivered first to me. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton. Don't go away. We'll be back with the rest of today's message in just a moment. But in these moments, Dr. Wilton insists we remind you that this is not just a presentation of the messages of his teaching and God's great word. It's also the beginning of the conversation. And perhaps already today, God has stirred your heart about what needs to be rearranged in your priorities of life.

And you'd like to have someone pray with you or for you about that. We can do that in a number of ways. We can do that keyboard to keyboard on our website right now at TEWonline.org. That's TEWonline.org. While you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily email from Dr. Wilton. It brings a delightful bit of insight that can be just a part of your day. Just jump starting your day to spend time in God's word.

Sign up for it free on our website at TEWonline.org. And there are other resources as well. And know that we're also a personal resource. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for one another is just to pray. And so we stand ready to pray for you anytime at the other end of this phone number, 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Now let's dive back into today's great message, God's First Fruits with Dr. Don Wilton. How far down your step ladder is God considered in your life? Just even with your worship, just be honest with yourself today, folks. Your time, the giftedness, you sitting here right now listening, you're a precious person, you've got gifts of leadership, you're gifted with children, you're gifted with.

You've got so many abilities. No, you don't give any of that to the Lord. How many of you here, honestly, just measure, put it on a scale. How much time do you spend doing stuff for yourself? How much time do you spend watching, going to ball games? I've got to be careful because my wife's listening. How much time, do you know she's not interested in watching March Madness with me?

There's something wrong with her. But any rate, how much time do you spend going to a ball game? How much money do you give? Excuse me, how much money do you give to your team? Now, how much do you give to God?

These are tough questions, eh? And they affect all of us because this is reality, folks. I'll tell you, it's like God just gets all over us. So, six blessings, angels, voice of God, provision, healing.

Here's number five, fertility. Fertility, what a testimony we heard from Jordan and Laurie Kramer. God's involved in that. God's involved in your monthly cycle, you know. God's involved in birth. God's involved in all of these things. There's not a single thing that God has to do. God doesn't punish someone because they don't have a child.

That's another whole story. God doesn't say, well, Lord, I'm going to give you this, therefore make me a millionaire. That's not how God works.

That's not the formula. What God is saying in Exodus, he's saying if you give of your first fruits, I will get involved in your fertility issues. Number six, I love number six in verse 26, the second part of verse 26. I will give you a full life, a full life. You know, this is one of those passages, you know, in the commandment says, honor your father and mother that your days may be long.

By the way, the word long doesn't refer to a time span. It refers to a quality of life. And he says here, you honor me with your first fruits. I'm going to give you a full life. May I be honest with you? I want to, when my time comes to go to heaven, I want to be able to say, you know what, Lord, I don't regret that it's over.

I'm just so thankful that it happened. You've given me a full and meaningful life. Don't you want to have a full and meaningful life?

All right, so let's get specific. What do first fruits giving do for us? What does first fruits giving do for us? Number one, it invests in the future. Number two, it affirms your biblical conviction.

Number three, it demonstrates obedience. My friends, do you and I need to hear any other explanation when God says? You need another analysis or an explanation when God says, and God is saying, God's calling us. God wants to bless you. He wants to multiply the fruit of your life. What does first fruits giving do?

It invests in the future. It affirms your biblical conviction. This is not a Baptist or a Methodist or a Presbyterian thing. It's a Bible thing. It demonstrates obedience. It's followship. This is Christian discipleship.

Number four, displays loyalty. You are declaring who you're loyal to. Sometimes I think God must wonder whether we more loyal to our favorite team than we are to God. And God doesn't take away these joys from us.

He multiplies that joy, but he wants first our loyalty. I serve the Lord first. Number five, it invokes God's promises. The Bible is replete because the future is as bright as the promises of God. When we give to him first up front, we invoke God's promise.

Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. Then all these other things will be added unto you. And then number six, it shows our dependency on God, doesn't it? It says, Lord, I know you've given me a sharp mind and you've given me a great business and you've given me a lovely family. And you've given me a beautiful place to go on holiday.

And you've blessed me with a beautiful community and a loving church. But Lord Jesus, I am dependent on you. I'm dependent on you for everything. He wants us to be dependent on him first. He's our Heavenly Father.

And then all these other things. In fact, when you place your dependency on him by demonstrating that, he multiplies the fruit of these other things. He gives you greater joy. Friends, there is no greater joy than being all out with Jesus. There's no greater joy than that.

Go all out with him and give him your best. Try that, do that, resolve that. Start today with your tithes and offerings. Take it out the top, not the bottom. With your gift pledge to Vision 2020.

Take it out the top, not the bottom. If you look at something, double it. Ask yourself the difficult question. Am I giving first fruits to Jesus? That's what he requires. The best of the harvest.

Number one. Try, prove God. Do it. Watch what God does. I think as a church we are trying, we're trying jolly hard. We're trying to say, Lord, we honor you first. God honors us back with the spirit that we have that's so evident in a diverse congregation of people.

They say it can't be done. But I beg to differ in the face of God and his word. Jesus first. What a powerful time of teaching and testimony from Dr. Don Wilton and as he speaks from that experience, I can share in that experience that when I have changed my priorities and put God first in every aspect of my life and my investment, my time, my funds, my focus in my family, everything changes for the good.

Is it time for a change in your life? Again, you've been listening to Dr. Don as he's been teaching and leading us through 1 Corinthians chapter 15 today on this message. God's first fruits.

But perhaps now as he steps into the studio, not with more teaching, but with just a simple challenge, you would open your heart to what he wants to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. If you just prayed along with Dr. Wilton to give your life to Jesus Christ or maybe rededicate your life to Christ, we are so excited and we join the angels in heaven who are celebrating because of your single life change. Dr. Don would not only like to hear about it, be able to pray for you, but he also wants you to have some free resources that will help you grow and take the next steps in your faith. Please give us a call. Our number is 866-899-WORD and we would love to send you those resources right out within the next 24 hours. That's 866-899-9673 or you can meet us on our website as well. It's www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org and while you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don, also online at www.tewonline.org, but you'll also see great resources like this wonderful book about Dr. Wilton's time with Dr. Billy Graham.

Hello, everybody. You know, my friends know me as Don Wilton, pastor, friend, neighbor, dad, husband, grandpa, but I'm going to tell you people all around the world just like you know and identify Dr. Billy Graham as that man that God used to reach so many people around the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of knowing Mr. Graham in a very personal and intimate way, both as his friend and as his pastor. In fact, for many years, I drove up to his home in Montreat, North Carolina, and visited with him every Saturday. Just like friends do everywhere, we sat together and ate together, walked, talked. We discussed politics, friends, places, people. We laughed our heads off.

We did everything one could possibly imagine. That's why I wrote this wonderful book, Saturdays with Billy. It's all about a personal relationship, and I hope and pray that Saturdays with Billy will be a blessing to you, will inspire you, and will encourage your heart, just as Mr. Graham encouraged my heart and changed my life. God bless you, my friends. Our time's gone for today, but oh, what a unique title Dr. Wilton has planned for tomorrow's message. It's called The Never God.

I know, it makes me a little curious myself. I pray that you'll join us tomorrow for the next edition of The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton, and visit our website to not only hear that tomorrow, but also to hear some of the other messages you perhaps have missed. They're all available both in video and audio form on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. Until next time, take care and God bless.