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Transcript

Well, good afternoon, brethren, it’s good to see you all here in this afternoon of Pentecost.

Show of hands, who likes to be called names? Remember some of my most vivid memories as a kid was being in the playground, or being in the classroom, and being called names. I have to confess, I wasn’t a big fan of it. I didn’t like being called names, I leave it to your imagination, but maybe I’ll have some fun. When your first name is Ed, there was a show out, and there was a talking horse, and the title began with Mr. and it ended with Ed. So, anyway, but, yes, getting called names is something that I certainly remember in some cases, a lot of cases, I wanted to forget. Well, brethren, today I’m going to resort to name calling. So, I guess whatever it takes to keep you all alert and awake after lunch, I’m going to start calling names.

All right, here we go. Don’t worry, actually the name... I’m going to call all of you a name, but the name I’m going to call you today is a name that was also a name given to Jesus Christ. So, how bad could it be, right? He was called certain names. And the name I’m going to call you today was a name that was given to Christ himself. Turn to first Corinthians fifteen. First Corinthians fifteen. You think about all the names that Christ was called. Frankly, in some cases, they weren’t all good names. In other cases, they were.

But let’s turn to first Corinthians fifteen. We’ll begin to read in verse sixteen, first Corinthians fifteen. Let’s start in verse sixteen. “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain. You are yet in your sins.” So, if Christ did not... Was not raised from the dead, we’re still in our sins. That’s obviously a good thing that he was raised in that case, but we’ll keep reading here.

In verse eighteen, “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” So, again, if Christ was not raised, we’re still in our sins, and those who died in Christ, they’re just gone. They’re gone forever. Nineteen, “In this life only, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Verse twenty, “But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits. The firstfruits of them that slept.”

And I have marked here in my Bible a firstfruit. I’ll come up a little later. But Christ was called a firstfruit. That’s the name that he was given. And you’re wondering, “Okay, is that the name that Mr. Winkfield, you’re going to call us today? Well, let’s turn to James chapter one. James chapter one. We see Christ was called a firstfruit. We’ll turn to James, see if he was the only one that was called that name.

James chapter one, start in verse sixteen. James chapter one, verse sixteen. “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God is steady. He’s settled. Verse eighteen, “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

So, there it is, brethren. We are also called firstfruits. So, I just called you a name. I just called all of you the name of firstfruits. We saw Christ was given that name, and I’m calling all of you, including myself, calling us all firstfruits. Now, for the record, that wasn’t the name amongst the names that I was called on the playground. You got a little taste with the talking horse, but I was called some other names, but I was not called a firstfruit.

But now, brethren, along with all of you, we are all known as firstfruits. Now, why firstfruits? You think about it, and maybe you don’t know much about them. I know a little, but I know a lot more now after preparing for this message. But why firstfruits? Firstfruits are small. They come prior to the big harvest, the main harvest. Why focus on such a tiny, small element of the harvest, especially when there’s a much larger, more bountiful harvest that comes later. Why focus on something so tiny?

Well, actually, in actuality, God calling Christ firstfruits, and calling us firstfruits says a lot about how God views us, how God viewed his son, Jesus Christ. By calling us firstfruits, it actually says... It tells us a lot about God’s perspective. Actually, being called firstfruits, brethren, as we’ll see today, being called firstfruits is one of the greatest names anyone could ever be called, particularly in the context of Pentecost, in the context of Scripture.

To be called a firstfruits, is one of the greatest names anyone could ever be given. So, today on this day of Pentecost, we’re going to learn why God chose this day. He chose Pentecost, he didn’t choose Passover, he didn’t choose Trumpets, or Atonement, or even the Feast. He chose Pentecost to highlight firstfruits and that’s going to be our focus today.

Now, we saw that firstfruits was a title given to Christ, and of course it was a title as we read that’s given to us. But what exactly are firstfruits? In our modern society it could be a challenge really understand, okay, you hear this term “firstfruits,” and it seems pretty straightforward, it seems simple enough. But in our modern society it could be hard to really understand, and appreciate the significance of what are firstfruits.

Now, if you’re a farmer, you probably get it. Maybe even a gardener, if you’ve had a garden depending on the size of it, you understand it more or less. But farmers and gardeners, they will understand this a lot more than others, but it could be more challenging to understand for those of us who really don’t come from that background, and particularly, in our society.

I mean this was written back in a much more agrarian society, but in our modern society, it could be harder to appreciate and understand what are firstfruits, and to understand what they are physically, and ultimately, therefore, understand what they are spiritually. But firstfruits and understanding them, brethren, is key to getting the most out of Pentecost. If we don’t really understand what firstfruits are, or at least understand them at a deeper level, we can miss the important meaning of Pentecost.

Now, I have to admit that I think of Pentecost, and I think of the Holy Spirit, of course, and the Holy Spirit being given, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Comforter, and the mind of God, and all of those things. I also think about the birth of the Church. We heard about that earlier, and the Church being started. I think of that on Pentecost, and you asked me about Pentecost. Those are amongst the first things that come to mind.

But admittedly, I don’t always think about firstfruits. Actually, it’s a little... I have to kind of focus, “Oh, yes, that’s right, firstfruits.” And my thinking starts to get a little fuzzy around that subject, and I think, ultimately, it’s because I don’t... That’s just not how we think, particularly in our society, where we don’t grow things in the same way. So, I’ve heard firstfruits in sermons, I’ve read about it in articles, but things start to get a little fuzzy.

You got firstfruits, and you got wave sheaf? What’s that? And then, oh, wait a minute, then there’s the wave loaves. And what’s the difference? Are they the same? It can be a little bit hard to get our heads around. But maybe that’s just me. Maybe all of you understand it at the deeper level, and it’s just very easy for you. But if you’re like me, it can be a little bit challenging to understand.

So, a part of what I wanted to do today, is really get into that, really break down, okay, what are these firstfruits? Talk a little bit about the wave sheaf and wave loaves and get into all of that. So, again, we’re focused on what are firstfruits. Now, the best way to do it, and maybe we could just take a step back, and just really understand what is God doing, how is His thinking, how is He communicating with his people?

God established... When He established the Holy Days, He established them around two major harvests, two harvests in a given year. Now, most people may think of one harvest, in most places, you start early in the year, and then you have this ultimate harvest that comes at the end. Well, in this part of the world where this was written, you got the Middle East and Palestine, there were two harvests.

And God set up the Holy Days around both of these harvests. There was an early spring harvest, and then a later fall harvest. And you think about the spring Holy Days, and the Fall Holy Days. And God set up those Holy Days around these harvests. Now, the first harvest was the spring harvest, and it would come off of the winter rains. You think about winter and it’s not... We’re talking about the Middle East here, so winter isn’t quite the same.

It gets cold, but you don’t have feats of snow and all of that. So, coming off of the winter rains, you had this smaller harvest. And this smaller spring harvest ended at Pentecost. Okay, so think today, it’s Pentecost, and think back thousands of years ago. That first spring harvest ended at Pentecost. Now, the second harvest, the second larger harvest would end late summer, early fall. So, you think about the Fall Holy Days.

So, you got the spring Holy Days, spring harvest, Fall Holy Days, fall harvest. And that fall harvest was a much bigger one, much bigger than the spring harvest. Now, the spring harvest, and what was harvested were known as firstfruits. So, they were the firstfruits of that given crop. It was the first growth, or the first yield of crops for that year. The farmer, he grew the crops, or he would harvest the crops in the spring, would end around Pentecost for that spring harvest, and the crops would continue to grow, continue to grow, and mature on into the fall, and then there would be a much larger harvest in the fall.

All right, so you have a spring harvest, which is much smaller, known as the firstfruits, the first growth of that year, and it would continue on into the fall, and you had a much larger harvest that would come in the fall. So, spring harvest, fall harvest. Spring Holy Days, Fall Holy Days. So, it’s very important, and that really sets the foundation for moving forward. Now, where do the wave sheaf, and the wave loaves fit in? Where do they fit in to this whole spring and fall harvest? And they certainly do, and they’re a big part of it, and a big part of understanding it.

Turn to Leviticus twenty-three. We’re going to read about the wave sheaf. Leviticus twenty-three. So, much of it is just understanding the terms, and it’s not overly complicated, it’s just understanding the terms, and how they all fit. But we’re going to read about the wave sheaf. Leviticus twenty-three, we’ll start at verse ten. Leviticus twenty-three, verse ten. It reads, “Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, ‘When you be come into the land which I give unto you, and you shall reap the harvest thereof,’” okay, we’ve been talking about harvest, “you shall reap the harvest thereof, and you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest.”

So, you’re going to bring this sheaf of what are called firstfruits to the priest. “And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you on the morrow after the Sabbath, the priests shall wave it.” Right, so you have this sheaf of the firstfruits. Now, a sheaf just means a heap or a bundle. So, the farmer, the one who grew the crops, were supposed to bring a bundle of the firstfruits, the first growth of that year in the spring.

He was to bring it to the priest the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Okay, so it’s unleavened bread, it’s the morrow after the Sabbath. Certainly, wouldn’t be something you do on the Sabbath. So, this would be the morrow after the Sabbath, which is a Sunday, always a Sunday, he would bring a heap, or a bundle of the firstfruits of that crop.

And usually it was barley. Barley would grow pretty early, and it would just start to ripen. And the farmer would bring a heap, or a bundle of the barley to the priest to be waived. And though that barley was the very first stalks, the first heads of grain, they were carefully cut and bundled, and brought to the priest. They weren’t eaten. He didn’t... The farmer didn’t take that grain, and immediately cut it and start eating it.

He didn’t grind it into the flour, and store it away. That first fruit, the first growth of that crop was offered, and it was taken to the priest, and it was offered. And that priest would take that bundle, and wave it before God. It’s a very symbolic gesture. And it was taken to the priest, and it would be waved before God. It would be offered up on behalf of the people. And the timing of that was important. It was the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Always a Sunday. No one would eat, no one could eat of those... Of the new harvest until that wave sheaf was offered. Okay? And that’s important.

The verse eleven says, “It was done to be accepted for you.” So, this small, early portion of the harvest actually represented the entire harvest. So, the firstfruits, this bundle, this heap of firstfruits was brought before the priest, or to the priest, waved before God, dedicating the entire spring harvest. The entire, those firstfruits represented the entire spring harvest. Right, so it was, one way to look at it is by bringing the firstfruits, just the bundle, the small bundle, bringing those firstfruits and waving them before God was like unlocking the entire harvest.

The entire spring harvest could then be eaten, stored, everything that would normally take place. But it had to happen after the firstfruits, this heap, or this bundle, this portion, was brought to the priest, and waved before God. All right, so remember, the entire spring harvests are all called firstfruits. So, the entire spring harvest was the firstfruits. But this bundle that was cut on the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, this was the first of the firstfruits.

You may have heard that term before. We’ll talk a little bit about that. It was called the first of the firstfruits. And it’s very important that we understand this. Let’s go to John twenty. John twenty. Some of you, many of you may have heard, “Okay, the first of the firstfruits. I’ve heard that before.” In fact, isn’t that something to do with Jesus Christ? The first of the firstfruits? Okay, let’s go to John twenty.

We’re going to read an example here, or read an account here that’s going to verify that. John twenty, we’ll pick it up in verse fifteen. John twenty, verse fifteen. And Jesus, this is Christ after he had been crucified, tortured, beaten, crucified, killed, and now he’s risen from the dead. John chapter twenty, verse fifteen, “And Jesus said unto her, ‘Woman, why do you weep? Why are you crying? Whom are you looking for? Who do you seek?’ She,” I believe this is Mary, “She supposing Him to be the gardener, said unto Him, ‘Sir, if you have borne Him hence, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’”

So, she’s thinking, “Okay, this is the gardener.” She comes to the sepulcher, the body of Christ, His corpse is gone. So, she’s saying to the gardener, “Okay, if you did something with the body, just tell me, so I can take care of it.” This is Christ talking to her, of course. “And Jesus said unto her, ‘Mary.’ She turned herself and said unto him, ‘Rabboni,’ which is to say master. Jesus said unto her, ‘Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend to my father, and your father, and to my God and your God.’”

So, Christ is saying He’s risen from the dead. Of course, Mary is seeing Him, realizing that it’s Him, and probably wanted to embrace Him in some way, show some sort of affection toward Him. And he said, “Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me yet. I have to go to my Father, and be presented to my Father, presented to God, before you can touch me.” Okay, what’s happening? Why is he saying that? Why is he saying, “Not to touch me yet”?

Well, Christ is saying, “Don’t touch me, because I have to be accepted of my Father. I have to be waved, or presented to God before you can touch me.” Just like that heap, or that bundle of grain that first came out, the first of the firstfruits had to be presented before God, before that crop, before the firstfruits could be accepted. So, what was happening physically with that harvest, was now taking place, and it was being done, it was actually happening, but it was being done with a spiritual connection.

Christ here is the first of the firstfruits. Jesus Christ is actually a part of the harvest. He’s just the first of the firstfruits’ harvest, just like the wave sheaf was the first of the firstfruits. Christ was the first to be raised from the dead, and the first to be accepted by God. Now, brethren, that’s exciting because if He’s the first, when you call someone the first, that means that there’s going to be some coming after. You don’t say first if he’s the only. So, Christ was the first of the firstfruits. He was the first part of the harvest.

And His death and being raised, it paved the way for the remaining firstfruits to also be raised, and experience what Christ experienced. So, that first sheaf, that first tiny bundle of barley, it carried a meaning for the entire harvest, remember? As does Christ being raised from the dead, raised back to life, it carries a bigger meaning for all of mankind. Remember, first of the firstfruits carried a meaning for the entire harvest. Christ being raised from the dead, carries a meaning for the entire harvest. This time, the harvest of human beings.

Brethren, this is amazing understanding. You don’t hear this, you don’t... This is not... These aren’t things that are taught and understood in the churches of the world. That’s the Old Testament, that has nothing to do with us. No, that is the plan of God. We get to understand it on Pentecost. Christ presented himself to God on a Sunday, remember, the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

If you look in verse nineteen, what does it say? I’m still here in John twenty, “Then the same day the same day that this all took place that he encountered with Mary, at evening, being the first day of the week.” So, that’s a Sunday. So, just like the wave sheaf was waved on a Sunday, the morrow after the Sabbath, during the Days of Unleavened Bread, this was all taking place in the same timeframe. So, that’s the wave sheaf, very important to understand.

Now, from that Sunday, fast forward fifty days, and where do you land? You land on Pentecost, the day of Pentecost. Now, the Israelites, they’re still working with the firstfruits. That whole time, the whole fifty days, they’re still working with those firstfruits, still working with that spring harvest. They had already dedicated the wave sheaf. The first of the firstfruits, they had already dedicated, and waved it... Took it to the priest to be waved before God. So, they’re still working on those firstfruits.

But now the crops have started to... They’re beyond the raw bundle of grain. So, let’s go back to Leviticus twenty-three. Let’s go back to Leviticus twenty-three. It’s been fifty days since the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, where the wave sheaf was waved before God. Let’s go back to Leviticus twenty-three. Let’s see about the wave loaf, the wave loaves.

Leviticus twenty-three, verse sixteen. Leviticus twenty-three, sixteen reads, “Even unto the morrow after the seven Sabbaths shall you number fifty,” you have number fifty days, “and you shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. You shall bring out of your habitation two waved loaves of two-tenths deals. They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven.” We’ll talk about that. They are the firstfruits unto the Lord.

So, these waved loaves, they’re just loaves of bread, made with the firstfruits’ grains, baked with leaven. These loaves were also dedicated to God. And they were waved, the loaves were waved on Pentecost. Today is Pentecost. They were waved seven Sabbaths, or fifty days after the wave sheaf. So, Pentecost is... Another name for Pentecost is the Feast of Weeks, because it’s been seven weeks since the morrow after the Sabbath on the Days of Unleavened Bread when the wave sheaf was waved. It’s been seven weeks, so another name for the holy day for Pentecost is the Feast of Weeks.

And you notice those waved loaves are called firstfruits just like the wave sheaf. Christ was called a firstfruits. What are we called, brethren? We’re called firstfruits. The wave sheaf are firstfruits, the wave loaves are firstfruits. Now, the difference between the wave loaf and the wave sheaf, is the wave loaf has leaven in it. It’s bread, it was baked with leaven, and it’s puffy. Bread is puffy, it’s puffed up.

We know that leaven, particularly when you think about the Days of Unleavened Bread, leaven represents sin. In this case, it’s a sign of humanity. We are all born in sin, and shaped in iniquity. So, you have this loaf of bread made of firstfruits. This loaf of bread has leaven, it represents humanity. It represents people. And these two loaves, firstfruits were also baked and waved before God.

The waved loaves, brethren, they represent a small group of people who are called, trained, and offered to God as His people. The people of God, all of us, brethren, we are represented by those wave loaves. And guess what that also means? We’re firstfruits. Just like Christ was a firstfruit. We’re firstfruits. He was waved before God on the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. We’re waved before God when? On Pentecost.

Brethren, this is us. This represents us. The wave sheaf, Christ was perfect, without sin, and waved by Himself. He was waved alone. But the wave loaves, all of us, the people of God, the plural, people of God, human, all throughout God’s plan, we were sanctified and accepted, and also waved and accepted by God on Pentecost. We’re the first group of people, we’re the firstfruits being prepared for God’s kingdom, which will eventually bring a much larger harvest of people to come later. It’s an amazing honor.

Turn to Revelation fourteen. Revelation chapter fourteen. It’s an amazing honor to be firstfruits. Revelation chapter fourteen, we’ll read a familiar set of verses, but I want you, hopefully, it’ll pop a little different for you. Revelation fourteen verse four, “These are they which are not defiled with women.” We’re going to read about the hundred and forty-four thousand. “These are they which are not defiled with women, for they are virgins.” Spiritually speaking. “They are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men.” Being the what? “The firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

Brethren, the hundred and forty-four thousand are the firstfruits. The firstfruits unto God. We are firstfruits. This is why Pentecost focuses on the firstfruits. This is an amazing day, this holy day in God’s plan. It focuses on the firstfruits. The Holy Spirit obviously is important, beginning of the church, very important, it all works together. But appreciating and understanding what firstfruits are, and what that means is crucial, crucial to understanding the day.

This festival, this day, this day of Pentecost, honors the calling, training, and the offering of an early harvest, an early harvest of human beings that are being presented before God. They are called now, in this age, and they, the firstfruits, all of us, we are preparing for the much larger spiritual harvest of mankind to come later. Brethren, see yourselves in these wave loaves being presented before God.

Understand that God has lifted us, and accepted us as a part of His plan. We are an offering made unto God. Just as surely as the priest put the bread, the loaves of bread and waved them, and presented them to God, we’ve been presented to God. This is a staggering honor. We’re a part of an early, precious, symbolic harvest, a harvest of human beings. God could have called us, all of us, He could have called us in the fall, in the fall harvest, the big harvest of human beings to come. God could have done that.

The vast majority of people are going to be called in the fall harvest. But instead, God selected and chose us in the spring harvest, the early harvest. We are firstfruits. That’s exciting. That’s exciting. Firstfruits is one of the best names that anyone can be called. God calls us firstfruits for so many reasons. Let’s look at several. Let’s look at several. First of all, firstfruits represent the highest quality, or the best portion.

Now, physically, firstfruits were not just the early crops to come, the earliest crops during the season. They were the most robust, the most colorful, the best shaped, the best of the best. So, when those early firstfruits, that the first of the firstfruits to come, think back to Christ, it’s a wonderful, amazing analogy. But the firstfruits were the healthiest fruit of the crops. They were the best of the best.

Turn to Exodus twenty-three. Being called firstfruits is one of the best things anyone could be called. Exodus twenty-three. Verse nineteen. Exodus twenty-three. Verse nineteen. “The first of the firstfruits of your land, you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not see the kid in his mother’s milk.” So, it goes on to give other instructions. But God is commanding that the first of the firstfruits of the land be brought into the house of God.

Farmers were to go out and gather the first of the firstfruits. They couldn’t gather the scrawny, the half-grown stuff. they had to gather the best of the best. They had to examine carefully. They had to look, think about, “Okay, we’re presenting something before God. It has to be the best of the best, the healthiest, the best color.” The fullest grains had to be selected. It was an act of respect, an act of reverence to offer God the best of the best.

Brethren, proper offerings, whether it’s physical offerings, we gave an offering earlier today, or spiritual offerings. Proper offerings get God’s attention. Go to Genesis four. Go to Genesis four. God established the importance of offerings. In this case, it’s offering firstfruits, but this principle applies in general. Proper offerings get God’s attention, and he established it early on.

We’re going to read about Abel here, and we’re going to read about Abel’s offering. We’ll call Abel one of the children of Adam and Eve. Genesis chapter four, we’ll read verse two. Genesis chapter four, verse two. “And she, referring to Eve, bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought forth the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.”

“And Abel, he also brought up the firstlings of his flock,” so the firstlings of his flock, “and of the fat thereof,” the best of the best, “and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offerings.” Proper offerings, whether they’re financial, spiritual, and any such thing, proper offerings get God’s attention. Offerings that we put our heart into, that we think about, that we care about, those things get God’s attention. God cares about the quality of the offering.

The first of the firstfruits, or the firstfruits in general, were brought to Him. it had to be the best of the best. Christ certainly qualified as the first of the firstfruits, as the best of the best. He was truly the best of the best. Go to Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two. Being called of firstfruits is a sign of the highest quality or the best portion. Christ certainly met that standard. Philippians chapter two, and we’re going to see what came as a result of that.

Philippians chapter two, verse five. Philippians chapter two, verse five. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, which was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” We’re reading about the characteristics of Jesus Christ, what helped Him qualify as the first of the firstfruits. We’re reading about humility. We’re seeing obedience. This is Jesus Christ we’re talking about.

Verse nine, “Wherefore,” so because of the way He conducted Himself, “wherefore God has also highly exalted him.” Why? obedient, He was humble, He was willing to die. “Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This was a result of being the first of the firstfruits. God accepted Him as first of the firstfruits.

He was the best of the best. Christ was the greatest of all the firstfruits. But what about us, brethren? What about us? We’re also called firstfruits. Turn to Exodus nineteen. Exodus nineteen. If Christ was the best of the best, shouldn’t we be the best? If he’s the best of the best, that’s saying that we’re also best. We should be. Exodus nineteen. Exodus chapter nineteen, we’ll pick it up in verse six.

Exodus chapter nineteen, verse six, we just read about Jesus Christ. Let’s read about us. Exodus chapter nineteen, we’ll pick it up in verse five. “Now therefore, if we obey,” sounds familiar, remember Christ was obedient unto death? “If you will obey My voice, indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people.” Now remember, Christ had a name above every other name.

Well, if we’re obedient and we keep the covenant, we’ll be a peculiar people unto God above all people. “For all the earth is mine. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.” It was the instruction Moses was to give. God calls His people, the people who obey Him and keep His covenant, they call them the best of the best. They are set above all other people. They’re set apart. They’re excellent. They’re precious to Him. They’re firstfruits to Him.

Brethren, how are we doing? Are we best? Are we conducting ourselves as best? Are we obeying God’s voice? Are we keeping His covenant? Are we living up to that description? Are we offering God our best every day? Are we giving God our prime time? Our full heart? Our strongest effort? Are we like the attitude that Abel had, where he gave God the fat, the firstlings of his flock? Or do we just give God the scraps, the leftovers? Whatever’s left. “Oh, that’s right. I’ll give that to God.” We didn’t read about him, but that’s the attitude that Cain had.

Proper offerings get God’s attention. If we want God to give us His best, we have to give Him our best. That’s only fair. That’s only right. Yes, we’re in the flesh. Yes, we’re human. Are there days that we don’t always give God our best? Sure, but that should not be the norm. That should not be our practice. If we want the best from God as firstfruits, we have to give God our best as firstfruits, and He’s willing to do it. He wants to do it. Brethren, that’s what being a firstfruit is all about, the highest quality, the best.

But another reason we’re called firstfruits, is that firstfruits represent the promise, and they represent hope. So, we’ve seen how they represent the best, or the highest quality, but firstfruits also represent a promise and hope. Physically, the site, think about being a farmer back, particularly in this time, but I would apply today, I’m sure. But the site of the firstfruits gave that farmer hope that it was going to be a good growing season.

He’s seeing the fruits, the firstfruits pop up out of the soil. It’s telling him that the growing season is on track. Everything is working. was fertile, and that a full harvest, first a spring harvest, and then a fuller harvest in the fall would be coming. When he saw that small beginning of those firstfruits, he knew, he was hopeful, that the larger harvest was on the way. Without the firstfruits, there really was no guarantee that the crops would be successful. If the firstfruits fail, then the crop could fail. It was a sign of what was to come.

But once the firstfruits appeared, hope was alive. He knew, “You know what? This is going to be a good crop this year. We’re going to have a successful growing season.” Brethren, spiritually speaking, the firstfruits and healthy firstfruits show that God’s plan is working, that a bigger harvest is on the way. First, it was Christ. He was the first of the firstfruits. He was successful. Now, it’s the rest of the firstfruits, all of us, the Church. How are we doing?

If we do well, Christ did His part, we do our part, guess what? All of mankind is next. The larger harvest to come, that’s represented by the fall. When we see that everything is on track, when God sees everything is on track with Christ and His people, it provides Him, and it provides us hope that the larger harvest would come later. Turn to Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. Seeing God’s plan tied to physical crops, and growing things just this makes His plans so much easier to understand. That was a large reason why He did it that way, so we could understand it.

Romans chapter eight, we’ll pick it up in verse twenty-two. Romans chapter eight, verse twenty-two. “For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” For we are what? Saved by hope. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit, which reminds us and tells us that we’re saved by the hope of what’s coming, “but hope that is seen is not hope, for what man sees, why does he yet hope? For what a man sees, why does he yet hope? But if we hope for what we see not, then do we with patience wait for it?”

So, this whole plan, this whole plan is not something that’s come to full fruition yet. You think about a farmer, he’s hopeful. He plants the seeds, he waits to see the firstfruits. When those firstfruits come forth, what is it? What does it do? It gives him hope that the rest of the crop will come through and be just fine. That, that larger harvest would be just fine. In this case, we brethren, we are proof that God’s plan is working. Christ did His part as the first of the firstfruits.

We as God’s people have the firstfruits of His spirit. We are the early signal that, later on, the larger harvest is going to come. God’s plan is on track. That gives us hope. Our job is to simply remain hopeful, and do our part as firstfruits. Don’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t abort yourself. No need. God’s plan is on track. We’re firstfruits. We are the proof that the larger harvest is going to come later. Philippians chapter one. Philippians chapter one. Don’t quit.

Philippians chapter one verse six. Philippians chapter one verse six. Being confident. You know what confidence is. When you’re confident in something, you know it’s going to happen. You’re confident. “Being confident of this very thing that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We are firstfruits. God is helping us to develop. We are proof that God’s plan, His bigger plan, is on track. It’s a promise. Brethren, we have to be confident in what God is doing.

As firstfruits of promise and hope, do we live every day with hope that God’s plan is unfolding? Are we confident that God’s full harvest is going to come? That our family members will be a part of that full harvest? That our co-workers will be a part of that full harvest? That our neighbors will be a part of that full harvest? God’s plan is so much bigger. So much bigger. When trials come, do we remind ourselves, “I am part of God’s guaranteed harvest?” I’m a part of that. God’s plan is working. Brethren, we should think that way. We should never lose hope. Never lose hope.

Firstfruits are a sign of that, a sign of a promise, God’s promise of a harvest now, and a much larger harvest later to come. Another reason to be called firstfruits is that they represent gratitude and trust. We’ve seen how they represent the best of the best, the highest quality, as well as a promise and hope. They also represent gratitude and trust. To give the firstfruits, that requires gratitude, and it requires... Really, it requires trust and faith.

A farmer giving away the earliest, or the best portion before the rest of the crop came in, that was a sign of... That took faith to do that. Proverbs three, Proverbs three, it was an act of faith. You got this food where everyone’s depending on, you got the firstfruits that come, and you’re going to go give it to the priest. That took faith. Proverbs chapter three was also a sign of gratitude and trust in God.

Proverbs chapter three, verse nine. Proverbs chapter three, verse nine. “Honor the Lord with your substance and with the firstfruits of all your increase.” So, we are to honor God with our substance, with the things that we have, whether it’s money, the things of value. We have to honor God with those things, and we do that by giving him the firstfruits of our increase. That’s how we honor God, giving to God up front.

Now, giving to Him up front, let alone giving Him the best of the best, that could be hard. That could be hard, that could be a hard thing to do. It takes trust. Human nature is to hold back, to hold back giving anything, let alone, I’m going to give you the best of the best. It takes faith to do that. The human nature wants just to cling on to what we have.

Turn to first Samuel fifteen. Let’s see an example of this. This is a bad example. It’s a good example of a bad choice, I should say. First Samuel fifteen. It’s a familiar account. Let’s look at it again. First Samuel fifteen. This is the account here with Samuel dealing with Saul, and Saul, the king, was given certain instructions. He didn’t fully follow those instructions. Let’s pick it up in verse seven, first Samuel fifteen, verse seven, “And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them.” They were instructed to destroy everything, but they decided not to do that.

Keep reading here, “But everything that was vile and refuse, they did destroy.” So, they were selective. So, instead of destroying everything, they took the best of the best and destroyed the worst. Verse twenty. Drop down to verse twenty. “And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.’” So, he’s not being honest. He was told to destroy everything. But he lied. He said, “Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil,” that’s not good leadership there, blaming the people.

“But the people took of the spoil, sheep, and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto your God in Gilgal.” God did not say to do that, to sacrifice to me, He said to destroy it. And Samuel said, “Has the Lord a great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” When we hold back, when we don’t do the things God instructs us to do, in this case holding back the best of the best and not doing as God instructed us to do? That’s rebellion. It’s sin. It’s stubbornness. It’s idolatry. It’s witchcraft.

“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.’” He actually said some truth in that. He certainly sinned. He certainly was fearful of the people. But he was also just disobedient. He was just greedy.

He didn’t show the gratitude for the victory that God had given him over the Amalekites, or trust that God would take care of him. He said, “You know what? Ah, why have all these sheep and oxen, these great sheep and oxen go to waste? Why destroy that? That’s good. That’s good stuff. Well, as a result of his rebellion, he was rejected. It’s an amazing example for us to keep in mind, brethren. When we dedicate our lives to God as firstfruits, we must trust that He will provide for us.

And the way to show that trust is to not cling to the things that we can control. Clinging to things is not the way to do it. Release the best to God. Whether it’s our finances, like trusting Him with the firstfruits of our increase, or our efforts. Be confident that if we release the best of the best to God, He will fulfill the rest. As firstfruits of gratitude and trust, do we hold back things from God? “Ah, God doesn’t really need that.” Or, “Oh, I really need it. I know God said to do it, but I don’t really need it.”

For instance, are we faithfully tithing? Are we faithfully giving offerings? The major reason people don’t tithe, Christians don’t tithe when they sin and don’t tithe, it’s really out of a fear. It’s a lack of faith, but it’s out of a fear of, “You know what? If I give ten percent, if I give twenty percent for the feast, a third tithe year, and I obey that,” it’s out of fear. “I won’t have enough. I won’t have enough. If I give offerings on the Holy Days, I won’t have enough.” That’s not a firstfruits mentality, a firstfruits approach. That’s clinging to what we have.

We cannot come before God empty on His Holy Days. Yes, it’s how God does the work, how we do the work, but it’s also an act of obedience, and an act of faith. It’s a show of faith, a show of trust and gratitude. And it’s not just money. Are we selfish with our time? Do we serve others? Do we give the best of the best in serving others? Do we do it half-heartedly? Do we not do it at all? Brethren, a show of gratitude, a show of trust is to give a portion of our time. Give a portion of our income.

God didn’t ask for all of it, He could have. But He asked for the firstfruits of our increase. Ten percent of our tithe. And it’s the gross, it’s the money that we make. The way I set up my budget, it’s a small thing, but it’s a way to remind me. Even on my budget sheet, after the income, I have tithes first on the budget sheet. God gets the first of the increase. Yes, it’s all in one big pile and it goes out, but even visually on the budget, it’s first. That sends the right message, not only to me, and it’s an example that God sees as well.

Another reason we’re called firstfruits is that they represent dedication, and being consecrated. Firstfruits represents dedication and being consecrated. It’s very similar to gratitude and trust, but a little different. Firstfruits are also a sign of dedication and consecration. When the farmer offered the firstfruits, he’s in effect saying, “God, this entire field belongs to you. I’m giving you a portion of what all belongs to you.” That’s a different mentality. It’s the truth. It’s the reality.

But understanding that, brethren, when that farmer gave that portion, he’s acknowledging, “You know what? God, all of this is yours. It’s all yours. This entire crop, all of the spring, the firstfruits in the spring, the fruits and the harvest, all of it belongs to you.” Turn to Psalm fifty. Psalm fifty. Understanding that everything belongs to God changes our perspective. Psalm fifty. Verse ten. Psalm fifty, verse ten. “For every beast of the forest is mine.” This is God talking. “Every beast of the forest is mine. And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the birds of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you. For the world is mine and the fullness thereof.” God is declaring and telling us, “It all belongs to me. It’s mine.” That changes your perspective.

“Oh, I got this house over here, and I got this car over here, and I got these things over here,” and this, this, that, and the other, and this money in the account. “It all belongs to me.” When we’re giving firstfruits, brethren, and we ask firstfruits, We’re not giving that barley that was given to God. It wasn’t given to Him because He was hungry. It was simply an acknowledgement that everything that’s in that ground that just came up and that’s still in the ground yet to come up, it all belongs to you. Stay here in Psalm. Go to Psalm one hundred and fifteen. Psalm one hundred and fifteen. Here’s the key. Here’s the key. It all belongs to God, what? Here’s the key, Psalm one hundred and fifteen, verse fifteen. Psalm one hundred and fifteen, fifteen. “You are blessed of the Lord, which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth has He given to the children of men.”

So dedicating the first fruits was like dedicating the whole field, the whole farm, the whole season to God. And as a result, God would allow the children of men, human beings, to have the earth, to use the earth. But brethren, make no mistake. God is allowing us to use something that belongs to Him. When we know and realize and remember that things belong to God, it’s a lot easier to give back to Him what was already His, versus feeling like we’re giving Him something that belonged to us.

It’s a shift in thinking. It’s the way to think about it. But for many of us, it’s a shift in our thinking. We are giving back a part as firstfruits. We’re giving back ourselves because we belong to God. We belong to Him. That is acknowledging His power and His authority in our lives. He is in control. We are not in control. When we give God a portion of our lives, because we’re going to see here, that’s what He’s asking for, a portion of our time, a portion of our income, a portion of our efforts. When we give those things back to God, we are acknowledging that He has authority and power in our lives.

Turn to Romans twelve. Romans twelve. Firstfruits of dedication and consecration require us to give a portion of ourselves to God. Romans chapter twelve, verse one, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy...” think consecration and dedication, “...wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Now I said several times, giving a portion of ourselves to God. Of course, we give our entire being and existence to God, but when I say give Him a portion, I’m talking about a portion of our time. For instance, that hour of Bible study that you give God, or that rest on the Sabbath, that one day out of the week, or that time in prayer that you give God a portion of your day. When we give God that portion, then it allows Him to bless our entire life.

God is not requiring us to be praying and reading the Bible twenty-four-seven. That’s not what He’s asking. He doesn’t ask us to do that. He does ask us to give Him a portion of our time. And when we do that, He blesses our entire life as a result. Verse two in Romans twelve, it says, “And be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The way that we dedicate as firstfruits that we’re dedicated and consecrated unto God is to allow ourselves to be transformed. We’re not to be conformed to this world, but transformed in having our minds renewed. As a result, we know the will of God, the perfect will of God.

And when we do that, when we’re transformed and not conformed, and we give God that portion of our life, that portion of our time, that He blesses the rest of our lives. He blesses us at home. He blesses us at work. He blesses us within our relationships because we gave God that portion, that firstfruits, that best of what we have. Yet another reason we are called firstfruits is that firstfruits represent a precursor or a foreshadowing of God’s bigger plan. They are a precursor or a foreshadowing of God’s bigger plan.

I’ve been talking about throughout this much larger harvest that’s going to come. We are familiar with God’s plan, but you look at physical first fruits, those first fruits were that signal. We talked about the signal, but it’s a signal that eventually that bigger harvest is going to come. This is good soil. These are good seeds. Good care has gone in to produce these firstfruits. So if we continue, then that larger harvest is on its way. The land is fertile, the conditions are right, the greater reaping will eventually come. The first fruits were that early signal, the down payment that the land would produce the fruits that it needed to produce. It was a preview or a foreshadow of that much larger harvest that was going to come in the fall.

Brethren, God is the ultimate farmer. Turn to John fifteen. John fifteen. God is the ultimate farmer. In this analogy that we’ve been talking throughout, that He was sharing with His people, we, of course, are the crops. We are the growth. Whether it’s Christ as firstfruits, or the first of the firstfruits, or us as firstfruits. But we’re the crops. We’re the things that are growing, and God is the farmer. He’s the one growing it. So, John fifteen, one,” I am the true vine...” This is Christ. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman,” or farmer, that’s what a husbandman is, is a farmer.

So as spiritual firstfruits, all of us, we, in the way we grow, we give God confidence, God, as that farmer, we give Him confidence that a greater harvest is on the way. The little flock, the firstfruits, all of us, we are a foreshadowing of a much greater harvest that’s going to come in the future in God’s kingdom. We give the farmer, God, that comfort that it’s going to come. We are a preview of what He’s doing with all humanity. And God, as a farmer, is very patient. He’s very patient. And He wants us to be patient.

James chapter five. James chapter five. God, as a farmer, is very patient. The best farmers are patient. They understand things don’t happen overnight. Crops don’t grow overnight. James chapter five, verse seven. James chapter five, verse seven. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” I say that to all of us. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman, the farmer, waits for the precious fruit of the earth and has long patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain. Be you also patient.” Be patient like that farmer. In this case, be patient like God is with us, with His plan, first of the firstfruits with Christ, seeing us as firstfruits growing and developing, understanding that a larger harvest will come.

“Be also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near.” This was written thousands of years ago. Talk about patience. Talk about patience. We are told to be patient, just like God is patient. Establish yourselves, for the coming of the Lord draws near. Brethren, how much more near is it now than it was thousands of years ago when that was written?

Brethren, we are, as firstfruits, are very, very precious to God. Very precious to God. We’re as precious to God as Christ was to Him as the first of the firstfruits. Very precious to Him. Brethren, we as firstfruits, we are a preview of God’s future kingdom. We’re not the full picture, but we’re proof that a bigger harvest is coming. When people see us, when they look at us out in the world, at work, in our lives, our families, events, things that we do, when they look at us, when they look at how we speak, how we live, how we treat others, are they seeing us as a preview of the kingdom of God?

Do they look at us and say, “You know what, I want to be... You know, they’re saying that they represent the kingdom of God. I want to be in that kingdom. I want to be in a world where people like that are in charge. People like that are making decisions. People like that are who I’m interacting with.” Do they think that when they see us, or is it the opposite? Like, “Oh, I don’t know about this kingdom of God. That person is, they’re off. I don’t even want to be around them now, let alone the kingdom of God.”

Brethren, they should see us as the future. We’re the firstfruits. They should see us and say, “You know what? Yes, I can live in a world like that with people like that.” We have to make sure that that’s what they see when they see us as firstfruits. The final reason we’re going to look at. The final reason we’re called firstfruits is probably the most obvious, but I decided to put it last. The final reason we’re called firstfruits is because we go first. We go first. Firstfruits go first. You can see the connection. We go first. It’s amazing.

First fruits, physical first fruits, hold a place of honor. They are the first to break through the soil, the first to mature, the first to be gathered. They’re lifted up as a celebration. A crop is coming. The first fruits, they’re healthy, they’re vibrant. First fruits are respected, they’re valued, they’re seen as the leaders of the season. Matthew twenty. Matthew twenty. Matthew chapter twenty, verse sixteen, I’m going to read about a tremendous honor. Matthew twenty, verse sixteen, “So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many be called, but few chosen.”

The last shall be first, brethren. We are the last, and we’ll be first. We’ll be chosen. Chosen there means favorites. Brethren, we are the chosen ones. We are. We were selected to usher in the kingdom and the future harvest of all mankind. That’s a tremendous honor, and it carries with it a tremendous reward. Matthew nineteen, stay here in Matthew, go to chapter nineteen. Let’s read about that reward. Matthew nineteen, pick it up in verse twenty-three, “And Jesus said unto His disciples, ‘Truly I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.’” They were talking about people having riches, and Christ is saying it’s going to be a challenge for a rich person to be in the kingdom of God.

“And again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Having riches can be hard when the goal is to be in the kingdom. “When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed. They were astonished, saying, ‘Well, who then could be saved?’ But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ Then answered Peter and said unto Him, ‘Behold, we have forsaken all and followed you. What shall we have therefore?’”

Brethren, many of us can say the same thing Peter said. “Father, we’ve forsaken all. Financially, we’ve given up jobs, we’ve given up lives, and careers that we had planned for ourselves. In some cases, and not by choices of our own, we’ve given up families. We’ve done all that to follow you. Well, what will we have therefore?” Well, thankful this is one of the times that Jesus decided to answer right then and right away. “Jesus said unto him, ‘Truly I say unto you, that you which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory...’” So He’s telling us when this is going to happen. When this happens, “…you shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” That is the reward for the apostles. They’re going to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

But Christ continued, verse twenty-nine. “And everyone that has forsaken houses or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, everyone that did that for me, he shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life.” Oh, wow, okay, okay. That’s what I... okay, I like that. I like that. Brethren, giving up things in this life, whether it’s riches or all the trappings, it gets us riches in the next life, a much longer life. We get three score and ten on this side. We’re talking everlasting life. Would you rather have riches in a short amount of time or to have riches in a much longer amount of time? It’s pretty simple. It’s pretty simple.

Revelation nineteen. Revelation nineteen. What do the firstfruits get? Revelation nineteen. Verse sixteen. Revelation nineteen, verse sixteen, one of my favorite verses here. This is describing Christ. The whole scene here is amazing. You see in verse twelve, it talks about “His eyes being a flame of fire and many crowns, and His name being written,” called the Word of God. It just comes down with an amazing graphic description. But verse sixteen, it says, “And He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Okay, the king and the lord, the first king and the first lord, referring to Christ. But He’s a King of kings, and He’s a Lord of lords. Brethren, we are those other kings. We are those other lords. That’s our future as firstfruits. We go first, we get to do that first. The last shall be first.

Brethren, are we preparing for that? Do we believe it? I know we do, I know we do, but are we thinking about it? Do we think about it? Do we believe it? Are we preparing to lead and serve in God’s kingdom? Are we overcoming trials in this life to position ourselves to be rulers, kings, and lords in the next life? Are we letting God shape our character today so we can help shape others’ characters tomorrow?

Going first isn’t just a privilege, it’s a responsibility. It’s a responsibility. Farmers don’t just bring in first fruits to admire them on the shelf. Farmers understand that first fruits are a promise, a signal, a commitment to something greater that’s going to come. God is doing the same with us, brethren, as firstfruits. Firstfruits have a special job to do, and they have special requirements.

Second Timothy, chapter two, as we begin to close. Second Timothy, chapter two. Second Timothy, chapter two, verse twelve. Second Timothy, chapter two, verse twelve. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. And if we deny Him, He also will deny us.” Brethren, to reign with Him, we have to suffer. We have to be willing to suffer. In some cases, we do have to suffer. We’ve not been called to coast. We’re not firstfruits just to coast into the kingdom. We can’t do that. We have to train, we have to grow, we have to serve. We have to be willing to suffer. But if we do that, we’ll reign. We’ll reign.

Our spiritual overcoming, our character growth, our daily obedience, they’re all preparing us to assist with the larger harvest that’s going to come later. Firstfruits have been chosen early. We were chosen in the spring harvest. But brethren, being firstfruits is not just a reward, it’s a job description. We’re first. We’re the firstfruits. What better name, brethren? What better name is there to be called than firstfruits? Christ was a firstfruits. We are firstfruits.

Being firstfruits is not something to just dismiss or like, “Oh, that’s nice. Oh, it’s something in the Bible, that’s nice.” No, being called a firstfruits is one of the greatest names anyone could bear. Christ’s honor as firstfruits is our honor. Christ’s future as the first of the firstfruits is our future. Are we living up to being called firstfruits? Are we embracing the honor, the responsibility, the calling that comes with being a part of God’s early harvest? Are we doing that? Are we offering our best? Are we fully trusting God? Are we dedicating ourselves to Him? Are we being that preview of the kingdom when people look at us? Are we carrying the responsibility of going first?

Pentecost, brethren, is not just a memorial of some old practice. Of course, there’s the Holy Spirit, and there’s the birth of the church, but there’s also this understanding of firstfruits. Firstfruits are a reminder of who we are now and, of course, who God is shaping us to be as we grow. Brethren, let’s rise to the calling of being firstfruits. Let’s embrace the name, the greatest name that we can ever be called, the firstfruits of God.