Firstfruits: Past, Present and Future

[Music] greetings brethren and welcome to the feast of pentecost pentecost is a memorial of great events in the past that revealed god's power but pentecost is also a memorial of exciting events in the future for a very special group of people a very fortunate group of people and we're going to be talking about that today in the sermon but pentecost is another one of god's commanded holy days those holy days picture the plan of god god's plan of salvation that he's been working out down through time and he's going to continue to work out in the future his plan of salvation for mankind and actually his plan of salvation for the entire world over a period of time the festivals of god are recorded in order in leviticus 23 where they're called holy convocations in fact if you could turn to leviticus 23 we can read some of those leviticus 23 chapter chapter 23 verse 1 it says the lord spoke to moses saying speak unto the children of israel saying to them these are the feasts of the lord they didn't say the feasts of the jews he said these are the feasts of the lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations a convocation is a commanded assembly in other words you need to be there when i went to college we had a convocation every morning every wednesday morning a convocation every wednesday morning it was required attendance we were allowed three chapel cuts the convocation was held in the college chapel we were allowed three cuts per semester and if we missed more than three chapel meetings or three convocations they began to lower our grades by a letter so if you had an a and you had three chapel cuts you wind up with a b in your subjects if you had a b you wind up with a c it was a it was a commanded assembly it was a convocation these holy days these festivals in the bible are called holy convocations in other words holy commanded assemblies because god wants us to be there he wants us to be there these were commanded forever it's actually mentioned about four times in leviticus 23 about being festivals that are commanded forever throughout your generations they didn't stop you know jesus kept these holy days the apostles kept these holy days the early church kept these holy days and god's church is still keeping those holy days today because they are commanded assemblies those holy days are listed in order it talks about the sabbath here six days shall all work be done and the seventh is the sabbath a solemn rest a holy convocation and you shall do no work in it it's the sabbath of the lord and to be proclaimed in their seasons in their seasons you have some in the spring some in early summer and then some in the fall they're actually seven and talks about the um passover it talks about the days of unleavened bread now it doesn't mention pentecost in leviticus 23 but it talks about first fruits it talks about counting uh 50 days from the sabbath in the days of unleavened bread until pentecost pentecost is a greek word and we don't hit the word pentecost until we get into the new testament but then in leviticus 23 it talks about trumpets it talks about the day of atonement it talks about the feast of tabernacles for seven days and then it talks about an eighth day which the scriptures reveal is called the great day in john chapter 7. so these are the biblical festivals the biblical holy days together they reveal the plan of god his plan of salvation you could ask yourself the same questions you see these come out these holy days and these festivals are commanded well what do they mean the bible reveals what they mean and they fit into a plan that god is working out in fact you can go to the new testament find out each one of these holy days are referred to in the new testament they were not to be forgotten they were not to be forgotten you might ask yourself when did you come across the context or when did you come across the the understanding that the biblical holy days are to be kept and that they picture the plan of god when did that happen for you for some of you that have grown up in a church you've heard this all your life but for many people who did not grow up in the church who came in contact with the church later it was a revelation you know i grew up in a protestant church different protestant different protestant churches and i kept christmas and i kept easter and i thought i was doing the right thing honoring christ's birthday on december 25th and honoring his resurrection in easter and then i came to realize when i came in contact with the church of god that christmas was a pagan origin easter was a pagan origin i never heard about the holy days i heard the jews kept something but i never heard about the biblical holy days until i came into contact with the church of god i started attending in the fall and at the feast of trumpets that first year i heard the minister go through very briefly a description of the seventh annual festivals and it literally blew my mind i never heard these things before and the fact that they fitted into a pattern depicting the plan and purpose that god is working out on this earth he sent jesus christ to become our savior he gave his life we remember that at the passover putting leaven out of our homes is symbolic that we need to put sin out of our lives we focus on that for seven days during the days of unleavened bread and then at pentecost a number of incredible things happened on the day of pentecost we're going to talk about today and then later in the fall the feast of trumpets pictures the return of jesus christ the day of atonement picture satan being bound put away no longer tempting people in this world the feast of trumpets pictures the coming kingdom of god excuse me the feast of tabernacles pictures the coming kingdom of god and the last great day pictures the white throne judgment a period of time when everyone who's ever lived will be resurrected this is an incredible plan but in the sermon today i want to talk about the feast of pentecost the feast of pentecost as i mentioned in the very beginning beginning pentecost is a memorial of great events that occurred in the past that literally illustrate god's incredible power but feast of pentecost is also a memorial of exciting events coming in the future that are going to impact a very special group of people a very fortunate group of people that you and i have been called to be part of i'd like you to notice a couple things in exodus 23 exodus 23 exodus 23 verses 14 through 16 it says three times a year now moses is giving this instruction to the israelites three times a year shall you keep a feast to me in the year you shall keep the feast of unleavened bread so this would be passover and unleavened bread early in the year and you shall eat unleavened bread seven days as i commanded you at the time of the appointed month of abib for in for in it you came out of egypt and none shall appear before me empty then a second time of year at the feast of harvest the first fruits of your labors so connecting the feast of harvest this is a spring harvest a smaller harvest earlier in the year which bring the fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field and then the feast of in gathering at the end of the year so around the feast time in the fall feast of tabernacles you're to make a pilgrimage feast to come to in this case in the old testament to jerusalem in the new testament but we come to places where god has placed his name three times a year all your males shall appear before the lord god so three times a year is mentioned here and it mentions this feast of the harvest or first fruits in the springtime then if we go to exodus 34 we see something very similar exodus 34 beginning in verse 18. it mentions the feast of unleavened bread you keep it for seven days then it mentions the sabbath here in verse 21 and then in verse 22 you shall observe the feast of weeks of the first fruits so here the pentecost period is time called the feast of weeks because as you can read in leviticus 23 they were to count 50 days or count seven sabbaths seven weeks and that brings you then to when the feast of pentecost will be and then the third time of in the year would be the feast of in gathering this would be around the time of the feast of tabernacles which would probably include trumpets atonement and tabernacles altogether then to verse 23 three times a year all your men shall appear it doesn't say you'll be invited to think about coming it says you shall appear before the lord your god it's a commanded assembly it's a holy convocation and we are to be there so these are the commands and instructions we find in the old testament having to do with the feast of weeks the feast of harvest in the spring as it's called or as we'll see in the new testament the feast of pentecost this feast of first fruits but what what what's all this business about first fruits why do we see this repeated emphasis on first fruits why do we see this repeated emphasis on first fruits what did it mean to the israelites to keep the feast of first fruits why is it important to god why is first fruits mentioned again and again and again why is this important to us today because we're reading the old testament we're reading things that the israelites were supposed to do but christ kept these days the apostles kept these days why why did the early church keep these days what is in it for you to keep the feast of pentecost this feast of first fruits what does this hold out for the future for first fruits i want to talk about these things today i want to talk about this concept of first fruits what it means to you what it means to me what it means to god and what it's going to mean to the entire world this feast of first fruits the title of the sermon today is the first fruits past present and future first fruits first fruits past present and future or we could say the future of the first fruits what is the future of the first fruits we'll talk about this today in the sermon on pentecost if we think for just a little bit about the history of ancient israel we can read about it in exodus the israelites after experiencing the plagues that god brought on egypt kind of softening egypt up it was the most powerful nation in the world at that time the israelites had been in egypt as in slavery for about 400 years but gods would preparing to bring the israelites out of egypt away from the most powerful nation on the face of the earth at that day they kept the passover they were commanded to keep the passover to put blood on their doorposts stay inside until the death angel passed over the nation of egypt those that did not have blood on the doorpost and again this was symbolic of the blood of jesus christ that would be shed later in god's plan but all the homes that did not have blood on the doorpost the firstborn of the family died the firstborn sons died the firstborn of the animals died and this was a shocking experience a sobering experience but god was preparing to deliver the israelites from slavery so this passover in the old testament context was a memorial of the death angel passing over and the israelites being thrust out of egypt this was something god wanted the israelites to remember and never forget because they came out as a result of his power of god intervening in the affairs of mankind in the affairs of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth at that time so the result of the passover and what happened on that passover the israelites were thrust out of egypt god delivered them from slavery and the passover is a memorial of that particular event when the israelites crossed the red sea and they did that during the days of unleavened bread this is a memorial then the days of unleavened bread a memorial of putting sin out of our lives and striving to live according to the laws of god then we read in exodus 19 about verse 1 and 2 that at the beginning of the third month and about 50 days later about 50 days later they arrived at sinai the mountain of sinai and at sinai god gave the ten commandments the laws and the statues he revealed them to moses and then moses revealed the law and the statutes which included the holy days included the dietary laws included a lot of other civic laws that god wanted the israelites to follow they would so they would be an example to the rest of the world the jews have a tradition that the law was given on pentecost on this 50th day and they call the holy day shavat shavat the time when the law was given to ancient israel but i'd like you to notice in exodus 19 the the the israelites made it a a covenant with god the israelites made a covenant with god at sinai but i want you to read and listen and think about the terms of that covenant beginning in verse 5 of exodus 19 now this is before the 10 commandments were given god was giving them making a covenant with israel in verse 5 he says now therefore if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant in other words if you do these things you shall be a special treasure to me above all people again we'll see not because they were any better god wanted to use the israelites people knew who were they people knew who they were all of egypt knew who they were they were delivered by god in a very powerful way the whole nation of of egypt knew something had happened they're way beyond the power of the pharaoh god got their attention and when they went through the red sea and destroyed the armies of pharaoh this this news spread all around so people knew that the israelites were something special already but this was god's covenant he was making if you keep my voice you hear my obey my voice and keep my covenant and then keep the laws of god you shall be a special treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine god did not make a covenant like this with the chinese the japanese the africans with other peoples of the world he made a covenant with israel for a very special purpose for a very special purpose and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests a kingdom of priest now remember these things because we're going to touch on this a little bit later we're going to see what happens when we get to the new testament but god is talking through moses to ancient israel you shall be a special treasure to me above all people you shall be a kingdom of priests a holy nation these are the words which you shall speak to the children of israel and down in verse eight they say well we'll do it we'll do it and we'll accept god as our our leader will follow his laws this was the attitude on the surface of the israelites and then they found out later that they were tempted to go here and go there off track which they did and as a result they went into captivity but god was making a covenant with his first fruits on the day that is called first fruits the feast of fruits of first fruits and later to be called the feast of pentecost these were the terms listed in genesis excuse me listed here in exodus 19. now here in exodus 19 god is talking with the children of israel who he brought out of egypt the adults and the children with them but they basically the adults turned away from god they got into idolatry they had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness and then just before the israelites came into the promised land this was the second generation coming into the promised land moses reviewed the conditions of the covenant with the second generation who had seen their parents wander in the wilderness and die so they never came into the promised land go to deuteronomy chapter 4 deuteronomy chapter 4 here we find described again god's purpose for calling the israelites a special people for making a special covenant with the israelites in verse 1 of chapter 4 of deuteronomy now o israel listen to the statutes and the judgments these had been revealed on sinai which i teach you to observe why because they're terrible you know they're difficult no that you may live that your life will go better and go in and possess the land which the lord god your of your fathers has given to you don't add to the word that i'm giving you don't take away from the word that i'm giving you just do it your eyes are seen what the lord did to baal peor for the lord your god is destroyed from among you all the men who followed baal of peor but you held fast to the lord your god you who held fast are alive today every one of you surely i've taught you statutes and judgments just as the lord moses is speaking here surely i have taught you statutes and judgment just as the lord my god commanded me that you should act according to them in the land which you go in to possess therefore be careful to observe them for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say surely this is a great nation surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people this is why god gave his laws to the israelites they were slaves in egypt they were slaves in egypt they came out he gave them his laws and he wanted them to follow them so they would be lights and examples to the world and people would say look how come you're blessed you say look because we're keeping the lives of god we're keeping the lives of god and people would say then for what great nation is there that has god so near to it as the lord our god is to us for whatever reason we may call on him and what great nation is there that has such statutes and judgments as all in this law which i've set before you you know these laws were designed to set the israelites apart from the world you know we keep the sabbath and keep the holy days today and they set us apart from the world and and you're noticed when you do that people will notice you're different and if they see things working out in your life they see god intervening in your life they're going to have questions in their own mind how do how do you do that why do you do that and you can explain to them but this was the purpose that god had for ancient israel but notice the warning here in verse 9 only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself lest you forget lest you forget the things your eyes have seen unless they depart from your heart all the days of your life and you need to teach them to your children and to your grandchildren see god made a covenant with israel i'm giving you my laws i want you to keep them and i want you to teach these things to your children so they too will be blessed and that they too will be seen as being different from the world so that's deuteronomy 4 this was to the israelites that were coming into the promised land they were the second generation coming out of egypt who had seen their parents die in the wilderness because they turned away from god and you know set up a golden calf and worshipped it now we get to uh deuteronomy chapter 7 again talking to the second generation verse 1 it says when the lord your god brings you into the land which you go into a possess and cast out nations before you the hittites the gergescites the canaanites peasites and so on and when the lord your god delivers you over them over to you you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them because they basically have a very pagan society they'll come up in a second resurrection they'll have a chance to learn the truth at that time but he says you're not to make any covenants with them nor shall you make marriages with them you don't want to marry them to marry into their society begin doing things that they're doing he says you're to stay apart you know paul mentions in second corinthians chapter 6 about verse 17 that christians are to come out of this world to come out of this world be different don't follow the world's holidays follow god's holy days don't go along with the the trends that we see in our society today says we're we're not to follow those things we're to be different we're to come out of this world we're not to be part of this society it says for if you do that you get involved with this society for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods that's what happened to solomon that's what happened to the israelites so the anger of the lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly you know the downfall of our nations today you can read about it in deuteronomy chapter 28 and verse 20. our downfall is going to come suddenly if we turn away from god if we forget his laws if we forget and ignore his holy days there's going to be consequences coming but notice in verse 6 why did god tell israel to be different for you are a holy people to the lord your god that's what the israelites agreed to in front of sinai you are a holy people to the lord your god the lord your god has chosen you he didn't choose the assyrians he didn't choose the babylonians he didn't choose the egyptians he chose the israelites to be a light an example to the world for the lord your god has chosen you to be a people for himself a special treasure above all the peoples in the face of the earth the lord did not set now here's a perspective that he also gave them the lord did not set his love on you or choose you because you were more in number than any other people for you were the least of all peoples you were slaves in egypt you god isn't calling people today who are the high and the mighty the the wisest people in the world the richest people in the world he's calling a few he's calling the weak and the lowly because god has a plan he has a purpose god doesn't need the brains of the world to save the world christ is coming back he's going to use those that he's called and prepared to change the world it's going to it's not going to be the brightest people in the world the smartest people in the world the richest people in the world is going to use people who are humble who are teachable and that he can work with these are people that have been called to become first fruits we need to think about that never forget that god has chosen you to be a people for himself above all peoples the concept of first fruits is all tied together in the meaning of pentecost this feast of first fruits god chose the israelites to be the firstfruits of his plan at that time but they turned away they forgot god they broke the covenant they changed the holy days you can read about that in first kings chapter 12 verses 28 to 33 whenever jeroboam led 10 tribes of israel off to the north after the death of solomon he set up idols so that people wouldn't go back to jerusalem on the holy days he changed the feast from the seventh to the eighth month so he's changing the feasts probably other things that were changed but they forgot the holy days they forgot the plan and purpose and as a result they went into captivity now it's interesting the israelites lost their identity when they stopped keeping the sabbath especially the northern ten tribes when they lost when they stopped keeping the sabbath stopped keeping the holy days they lost their identity you know the jews went into captivity in babylon because they had broken the sabbath they'd broken god's sabbaths the holy days they'd gotten away from god that way but they they learned a lesson you know ezekiel talked to them ezekiel chapter 20. he mentioned that uh one of the reasons that you are there in captivity ezekiel's among the babylon the captives in babylon and he's talking to the israelites though there's a much bigger picture he said you're here because you've broken god's sabbaths you've turned away from god and broken his sabbath you've broken the covenant when the jews came back 70 years later to jerusalem they continued to remember the sabbath and the holy days and the sabbath and the holy days have set the jews apart and they remembered that they were called to be chosen people but the jews basically turned inward they turned inward you know the college i went to we had a student body of about 800 men we had two jewish fraternities which were quite popular among the jews and they probably had about a hundred students so about one-eighth of the student body were jewish fellows you know their dads were doctors and lawyers but they kind of kept to themselves because they they were the chosen people and those of us who were not jews were we were the the unwashed uh we were different i didn't understand at that time who the israelites were you know jacob had 12 sons and only one of those sons was judah the jews have not forgotten who they are but the other 11 sons have sort of forgotten who they are the the israelites were called to be first fruits but they let go of that opportunity but this is not the end of the story of first fruits there's a lot more to that story there's a lot more to that story and we picked that up in the new testament in acts chapter 2 acts chapter 2 in the new testament and there we find the apostles were instructed to be together on pentecost on this feast of weeks on this feast of first fruits now the apostles were jews and they were there because it was a commanded assembly it was a memorial of the giving of the law at sinai so that's why they were there but something incredible happened that day to those that were all together the disciples of jesus christ there was a blowing of the wind there were little sparks of fire on their head flames of fire and they spoke in different languages they spoke in different languages as a result of god pouring out his spirit in the old testament he gave the law on the day of pentecost in the new testament he poured out his spirit and the disciples spoke in different languages it was a very stunning scene because people saw it they watched it not everybody started speaking in tongues it was the disciples of jesus christ the spoken tongues god was setting them apart and showing that they were different once they received the gift of the holy spirit so on pentecost in the new testament god poured out his spirit there was a miracle a miraculous occurrence and it was also the start of the new testament church so pentecost is a memorial of the giving of the law of god in the old testament in the new testament it was the beginning of the new testament church through the power of god's holy spirit it's interesting to note you know peter spoke to the people that were gathered there they wanted to know what's going on what's going on and peter started talking to them he gave him a sermon he talked about this was part of god's plan and when he was done they said look what do we do what do we do how can we be part of this and peter's answer was in acts 2 37 and 38 repent repent change your life you begin focusing in a different direction repent be baptized make a commitment to living god's way of life make a commitment to keeping the holy days and the sabbath making a commitment to follow the commandments of god to change your life in that sense so repent be baptized it says you receive the gift of the holy spirit you receive the gift of the holy spirit now a couple of other scriptures in the book of acts we need to be aware of and acts 5 32 acts 5 32 it mentions that god gives his spirit to those who obey him you know so one of the reasons that we repent is to begin to obey the laws of god when i learned about the sabbath and the holy days i started to keep them i started to keep them i didn't understand fully about the plan of god but i understood leviticus 23 it says keep them their commanded assemblies and having gone to a college where we had a uh a convocation a commanded assembly every wednesday morning i understood what commanded assembly or what convocation meant i saw that christ kept these things the apostles kept these days and i realized that's something i need to do and i thought i was obeying god when i kept christmas and easter but i came to understand that was wrong i came to understand what we should be doing and i started to do that as many of you did the same thing when you learned about the sabbath and when you learned about the holy days you started to keep them so acts 5 32 says god gives his spirit to those who obey him basically to obey god you follow his instructions you follow his instructions you follow his lies you keep the sabbath and you keep the holy days and you do the other things now notice also uh you know the holy spirit was only poured out on the apostles it was not poured out on everybody else in john chapter 6 and verse 44. now this fills in more of the picture that god has a plan he has a purpose uh pentecost was to be kept during the um the spring harvest or the beginning of the spring harvest which is a small harvest the major harvest of the feast of ingathering that the old testament talks about the feast of tabernacles comes at the end of the year so early in the year keeping the past over days of unleavened bread and then on pentecost we read here in john 6 44 that god is not calling the whole world right now john 6 and verse 44. it says that jesus said no one can come to me unless the father who has sent me draws him calls him invites him or her and i will raise him up in the last day in verse 65 jesus and the medium in the intervening verses in the intervening verses jesus talks about you've got to eat my flesh and drink my blood you've got to internalize my teachings you've got to internalize my teachings make them part of you so that you're following these from your heart but in verse 65 jesus said therefore or this is why i said unto you earlier therefore i said unto you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to that person by my father god is calling a few people and we need to realize this and god's not calling everyone today why are you here why are your parents here you're here because god is calling you a calling is a capacity to begin to understand the plan of god the purpose of life the reason for being and we never want to take that for granted we never want to take that for now granted is only calling a few at this point in time uh to emphasize that a little bit more go to john 14 and we read this during the passover and the days of unleavened bread but again it fleshes out what we're talking about the plan and the purpose of god god gave his spirit to the apostles on the day of the disciples on the day of pentecost in john 14 15 and this kind of flies in the face of what many people believe today many people today believe well if i i if i know about jesus and if i love jesus and if i pray to jesus then i'm going to be in heaven and yet notice what jesus actually said he said if you love me he's talking to his disciples but we can all read this whether we're disciples or not if you love me keep my commandments keep my commandments if you love me now i thought i was keeping god's commandments i tried not to lie and steal and so on but i didn't realize we shouldn't be keeping the sabbath i heard that was jewish but in exodus 20 we are to remember the sabbath day and keep it holy or to remember the sabbath day and keep it holy he said if you love me keep my commandments and as a result verse 16 i will ask pray i will ask the father and he will give you another helper a parakletos a helper and he actually the word means it or should be it that it may abide with you forever the spirit of truth it was god's spirit is a spirit of truth the bible is truth we should be believing the truth believing the bible we should be preaching the truth the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive the world doesn't receive god's spirit if it doesn't follow the lies of god if they're not called to understand the plan and purpose of god the world is not going to understand the spirit of truth that the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him that is caesar knows god but you know him for he dwells in you and you will be in him so the world cannot receive god's spirit they're not going to understand the plan and purpose of god they're not going to see the plan and purpose of god they're not going to understand bible prophecy in john 15 verse 14. now jesus is talking with his disciples you are my friends you are my friends if you do whatsoever whatever i command you to do if you do whatever i command you to do we want to think that jesus is our friend but then we want to do our own thing if we want to be god's friend we need to do what he commands us to do i no longer call you servants for a servant doesn't know what his master is doing but i have called you friends for all the things that you have heard from my father i've made known to you god's plan and purpose is being made known to his friends at this time those who are called those who are keeping his commandments we understand we have a perspective the world does not have and we never want to take that for granted notice in verse 16 jesus told his disciples you did not choose me i chose you you didn't choose me i chose you and when i went to college i had a goal in mind i want to become a doctor and later a teacher but that was my goal when i came in contact with the church it was like i saw a bigger picture i saw a bigger picture and i changed my perspective i wanted to be a teacher not just somebody that fixed somebody's body but somebody that worked with their mind somebody that worked with their beliefs somebody believe that worked with their focus in their future it changed my perspective totally it changed my perspective totally but i began to realize it and more so later more so in recent years jesus said you did not call me i called you i've chosen you let's finish the verse that you should go forth and bear fruit you know the first fruits have a big fruit to bear a lot of fruit to bear but there's going to be some big rewards if we bear fruit with our calling and your fruit should remain that whatsoever you ask of the father in my name i will give you these things i command you that you love one another and if the world hates you that's the way it's going to be because they're not in the same wavelength they're not on the same wavelength let's go to matthew 13. matthew 13 because this theme runs through the new testament explaining what privilege the first fruits are having today why they've been called and what god is looking for from these people who are first fruits in matthew 13 beginning verse 10 the disciples came to jesus christ and they asked him why do you speak in parables you tell all these little stories why do you just hit him with the truth smack between the eyes jesus answered and said to them the reason i speak in parables because it has been given to you my disciples the individuals that i'm calling because it's been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that god is actually going to set up a kingdom on this earth that christ is going to return we're not all going to heaven to walk on clouds and walk on streets of gold and play harps christ is coming back we are going to be resurrected go briefly to heaven and then come back and then reign with christ on this earth this is the mystery of the kingdom of heaven the world doesn't understand this you know the world today is in a mess and people are looking for political leaders who will solve their problems you know we elected a new president here in the united states supposedly to solve our problems and people are already concerned the germans are going to have an election in the fall of 2021. they're going to be looking for someone too to lead them and solve their problems it's not going to happen with physical leaders it's not going to happen but jesus says here because it's been given to you to understand the mysteries or to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to them to the world it's not been given they've not been called verse 16 blessed are your eyes the word in the greek means to be envied to be envied are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear so don't close your ears and don't close your mind and don't run off after the world because you're going to be running off after a false vision of the future you're going to miss out on an incredible future then he talks about the parable of the sower and you can pick that parable up um in um the next couple of verses verse 19 it says he who hears the word of the kingdom it doesn't understand it uh the satan will come along and just snatch away that what they what they heard they won't remember it they wouldn't be interested but then he talks about some other people talks about a person that that receives the seed on stony ground who hears and is excited wow that's incredible that's that's great just before i came back from england to the states in 2005 we just got on television over there and i got a phone call from a fellow he was actually i think a master's degree in theology and he said you know i came across your program this is incredible this is incredible can we talk i said well look i'm leaving for the states in a couple of days i could probably meet with you this weekend he said i said i said call me back and we'll set up an appointment he did call back or i called him i forget which a night or two later and he said well i was on the internet and i saw some other things and are you related anyway to this other group and i said no we're not he said well let's just postpone uh uh our meeting so he was excited when he first heard and he stumbled on some stones that he found on the internet and he decided i i let's let's just not do it right now this is happening to people today it also mentions here then verse 22 and now some receive the seed among thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becomes unfruitful the cares of the world well i you know i can't can't begin keeping the sabbath because i'll lose my job or you know i just i can't begin tithing because i've got these bills to pay or you know members of my family are going to look down on me and make fun of me i i can't do it right now jesus was talking about situations that would come up and satan doesn't want you if you especially if you understand the plan and purpose of god he doesn't want you to be in the kingdom of god he doesn't want you there you know he tempted christ he tempted peter he'll tempt you and me but don't give in to those things recognize what's happening if you want to be in the kingdom of god you've been called as a first fruit to be there to reign with jesus christ don't throw that away that's what we're to remember on this day of pentecost it's a memorial of what has happened in the past but it's also a memorial of what's coming it's to remind us of what's coming there is a future an incredible future for the first fruits that god is calling now he's not calling everyone he's calling a few notice also what paul says about first fruits in the new testament go to romans chapter 8 and verse 22. see the new testament explains a lot more about these first fruits why it's important why we need to understand these things when we observe the day of pentecost it talks about first fruits romans chapter 8 verses 22 to 23 it mentions here for we know that the whole world groans and labors with birth pangs together until now and we're watching those birth pangs today things are getting worse and worse and worse our expenditures our national debt is climbing to trillions of dollars uh things don't work that well in society you know even our postal system in the united states seems to be breaking down uh when i was in england i think i read in the papers over there that the the royal mail which sounds very important loses something like a million or a billion pieces of mail a year uh things just don't work as well as they used to the world is groaning today but it mentions here we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now not only that but we also who have the first fruits of the spirit those that have been called to be first fruits that received god's spirit even ourselves grown within ourselves eagerly awaiting the adoption and the redemption of our body we're waiting for the return of jesus christ and a resurrection to become spirit beings to reign with jesus christ that's a hope that you have as a first fruit that's an exciting hope you never lose sight of that but here paul is tying first fruits into those that are going to raise with christ or raise it those will arise at the second coming of jesus christ to reign with him those are the first fruits that's the future romans 16 and verse 5 he uses the term again first fruits romans 16 and verse 5. now he's writing to the the church in rome or to the members in rome um and he says greet so and so agreed so and so but in verse five he says likewise greet the church that is in their house that is the house of of um priscilla and aquila greet the church that is in their house greet my beloved epinidus epinidus now epinidus was a christian in rome but it says who is the first fruits of aca to christ he was one of the first converts there apparently but he's referred to as the first fruits of paul's ministry there or the ministry that was conducted there so paul again equates first fruits with people that are being called now to become part of the church let's go to first corinthians chapter 15. first corinthians chapter 15. some more insights about first fruits more insights about first fruits first corinthians 15 verses 20 21 22 23 it says but now christ is risen from the dead verse 20 and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep so christ is the first of the firstfruits this took him out of the grave to become a spirit being for since by man came death by man also came the resurrection from the dead that is by jesus christ for as in adam all die even so in christ all shall be made alive that's our hope for the future especially for the first fruits but each one in his own order there's going to be a resurrection at the beginning of the millennium there's going to be another great resurrection at the end of the millennium in god's time according to god's plan 23 christ the firstfruits and afterward those who are christ at his coming those are also going to be firstfruits they're going to be resurrected when jesus christ returns let's go to james chapter 1 verse 18 again talking about first fruits james chapter 1 and verse 18. now james is writing here notice in verse 17 for every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation and no turning you know some people when they come into the church say if they're single and it's kind of like well there's nobody here to marry so i'll just marry whoever i can find you know we're overlooking gifts that god can give us we're overlooking gifts that god could give us if you make god your partner god i'm going to try to become the best possible mate that i can be i want to do things your way would you help me would you help me guide me lead me show me leave that in god's hands and don't run off in another different direction because well there's nobody here there's nobody here that's a satan that's a ploy from satan but in verse 18 it says of his own will that is god's will he brought us forth by the word of truth you know we came into the church of god because god brought us to the church it was a magazine a television broadcast a dvd something that you heard from someone that pointed you in this direction to the word of truth and you came to understand that and you began looking for a place where you could fellowship with people of like minds god uses his truth and uses his spirit to reach out to people to connect with people to draw them in to become members of his family potential members of his family of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures the church is god's first fruits you might look this up in some other translations one translation said the first children of his new family translates this this phrase first fruits as the first children of his new family we've been called to become part of god's family when we're resurrected in the first resurrection we're going to be the first to become part of his family who've been previously physical human beings another translation was the first fruits to god and the the lamb of god can be translated down the elect according to god's plan and wait a minute the first specimens of his new creation the first specimens of his new creation this is what james was talking about in james 1 18 to become a kind of first fruits of his creatures the first specimens of his new creation notice in first peter chapter one first peter chapter one these are exciting verses first peter chapter one verses one and two peter an apostle of jesus christ who the pilgrims of the dispersion in pontus galatia and so on the elect according to the foreknowledge of god the father in sanctification of the spirit the god spirit that sets you apart for obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of jesus christ you know pilgrim is a person that comes first a pilgrim is a person who is an alien in this society a stranger in this society not a part of this world we've been called to come out of this world we've been called to come out of this world to become part of god's family we're called here the elect the firstfruits the elect of god notice also then in first peter chapter 2 in verse 9 first peter chapter 2 and verse 9 and this should be very familiar to us having read the terms of the covenant that the israelites entered into coming out of egypt in exodus 19 verses 5 and 8 we just read that a little bit ago also in deuteronomy chapter 7 verses 6 and 7 notice how this is phrased about the first fruits the elect in the coming kingdom in the uh the new testament talking about the church these strangers these pilgrims he was writing to but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people his own special people he's not talking to the greeks he's not talking to romans in their civilizations he's not talking to egyptians he's talking to people that were called into the new testament church spiritual israelites you are a chosen generation royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness and we've been called out of darkness again it's only a few that are being called right now into his marvelous light to an understanding of the plan of god who once were not a people but now are the people of god who have not yet obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy beloved i beg you as sojourners as pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust don't go back into the world don't go back into the world you've been called to be a firstfruit be different come out of this world another interesting scripture that people get excited about and it's worth getting excited about revelation chapter 14. revelation chapter 14. you notice i hope you've noticed anyways as we go through the sermon these are not my ideas these are not my opinions we've been reading the scriptures we've been letting the scriptures speak to us about what first fruits are all about revelation 14 john mentions here i looked and behold a lamb standing on mount zion and with him a hundred and forty four thousand having the father's name written on their foreheads and heard a voice from heaven like a voice from many waters like a voice of loud thunders and heard the sound of harp was playing and they sang as it were a new song before the throne so you're 144 000 singing a new song that nobody else could learn having a name a new name on their foreheads verse four these are the ones who were not defiled by women talking here more spiritually which is probably a physical analogy too but they weren't involved with pagan religions for they are virgins these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes wherever he goes and they will go where god is going to send them to this nation to that nation and so on as ambassadors these were redeemed from among men being first fruits to god and to the lamb the 144 000 are going to be very special first fruits that are called by god become part of his family to reign with jesus christ in the coming kingdom of god we've been called to understand the plan of god let's go to first corinthians and we're just about done go to first corinthians chapter one again this theme that not everybody is being called now paul was telling this to the corinthians verse 26 through 28. now the corinthians were kind of with it people they were on a major trade route to rome uh money was to be made there a lot of ideas floating around a lot of pagan ideas floating around too but these were the people that god or that paul said you've got to come out of the world you've got to come out of that society and the reasons to come out is because you've been called to be first fruits verse 26 of first corinthians chapter 1 for you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble not many rich are called but god has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise you believe in the bible you got to be stupid no if you believe in the bible that god has opened your mind to understand you're way ahead of the pack you're way ahead of the pack god has chosen the weak things of the world to put the shame that are mighty that no flesh should glory now what does god expect of these people what do they understand chapter 2 and verse 7 paul says to the corinthians we speak the wisdom of god in a mystery we talk about the plan and purpose of god that the world doesn't understand we speak the wisdom of god in the mystery the hidden wisdom which god ordained before the ages for our glory god had a plan from the very beginning he's continued to work out that plan it's pictured in the holy days and pentecost pictures the first fruits this special group of people that god has been working with down through history and especially today as we approach the end of the age these are people that are going to come up in the first resurrection we're going to reign with jesus christ as spirit beings with eternal life who will live forever as part of god's family the hidden wisdom which god ordained from the beginning of the world but then he quotes here out of isaiah but as it is written eye has not seen nor ear heard nor have entered into the heart of man the things which god has prepared for those who love him you know the ancient greeks speculated on what the purpose of life was philosophers in the middle ages speculated what the purpose of life was they don't understand because their mind has not been opened to understand the plan and purpose of god verse 10 but god has revealed these things to us through his spirit that spirit of truth that leads us to all truth that john wrote about and paul is writing about it here the spirit searches all things just the deep things of god and verse 14 it says the natural man a person without god's spirit does not receive the things of the spirit their foolishness to him you try and explain what you're doing today to people that are not on the same wavelength they're not going to understand verse 16 for he who has known who has known the mind of god that he might instruct him he says but we have the mind of christ that's because we have repented we've received god's spirit and that spirit will lead us and guide us into all truth brethren as we approach the close of the service today on pentecost we need to remember that pentecost pictures a memorial it's a memorial of great things that god has done down through time the law was given on sinai on the day of pentecost the day of the first fruits in the new testament god poured out his spirit and began a new testament on the day of pentecost he poured out his spirit that spirit enables us to understand the plan of god we've been called as first fruits to reign with jesus christ on this earth that's why we've been called to grow you know peter mentions this in in the second peter uh chapter 3 and verse 18 he says grow in the grace and knowledge of jesus christ in first peter chapter one he talks about adding to your faith wisdom and knowledge and patience to grow so that we can be ready to be changed into spirit beings this is the purpose of the first fruits god has an incredible plan and purpose he's working out on earth he wants you and i to be part of that plan part of that purpose so that we can work with jesus christ to literally change the world your brethren the day of pentecost is a very exciting day it's a very symbolic day it's a very meaningful day that you and i have been called out of this world to become first fruits to be in the coming kingdom of god so brethren as we rejoice keeping this day of pentecost this day of first fruits let's rejoice let's thank god for the privilege of being called today we're not any better than anybody else but we've been called to be part of god's plan and purpose to fulfill an incredible mission so brethren have a wonderful exciting uh rewarding feast of pentecost you

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Length: 64min 59sec (3899 seconds)

Published: Sun May 16 2021