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The Principle of First

Pastor Robert Morris Ministries

September 19, 2019

27:32

Pastor Robert Morris Ministries

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The Principle of First

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ROBERT
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ROBERT M
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ROBERT MOR
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ROBERT MORRI
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ROBERT MORRIS:
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ROBERT MORRIS: T
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ROBERT MORRIS: Tha
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ROBERT MORRIS: That'
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's ho
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how im
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how impo
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how import
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how importan
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important th
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this p
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this pri
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this princ
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this princip
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this principle
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this principle i
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ROBERT MORRIS: That's how important this principle is.
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And we're going to see that this principle
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refers to tithing.
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But I want to say something to you that maybe you've
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never thought of.
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Jesus is God's tithe.
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Welcome to the blessed life.
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Is God really first in your life?
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What would your checkbook say?
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Stay tuned.
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ROBERT: I want you to turn your Bibles to one
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passage of scripture.
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We'll go through some others.
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But, we'll just look at one.
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Exodus 13.
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We'll just go to one.
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Exodus 13, and as you're getting to Exodus 13,
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let me just say this.
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This is in my opinion the most important message
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in the series.
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We're in this series called "The Blessed Life,"
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and this is probably the most important message in the series.
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The title of this message is "The Principal of First."
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"The Principal of First."
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I want to make this statement.
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If God is first in your life, then everything
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will come into order.
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I'm not saying you won't have difficulties
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or problems or go through struggles.
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Jesus said in this world, you'll have tribulation.
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But would you rather go through tribulation
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with everything in order, or everything out of order?
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And hear me, if Jesus is first, if God's first,
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everything will come into order in your life.
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If He is not first, then nothing will come into order
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in your life.
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God has to be first for there to be order in your life.
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So I want to show you this principal,
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because this principal is a principal that runs all through
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scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.
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Here, so let's start, Exodus 13:1.
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It says, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
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'Consecrate to me all the firstborn.
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Whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel,
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both of man and of beast, it is mine.'" It is mine.
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It belongs to me.
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I wish that I could adequately explain to you
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how emphatic the language is in the Hebrew here,
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this phrase it is mine.
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It is my property, it belongs to me, I'm the owner.
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It's extremely emphatic.
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It's very important to understand that,
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when you talk about the Principal of Firsts.
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The firstborn, he says, belongs to me.
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Okay now, look at verse 12.
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"That you shall set apart to the Lord all that opens the womb."
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That is every firstborn that comes from an animal,
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which you have, "males shall be the Lord's."
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Very similar language in the Hebrew shall belong to God.
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They'll be the Lord's.
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"But every firstborn" now, we'll talk about this,
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"of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb," very important.
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A donkey will be redeemed with a lamb.
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Now watch this phrase.
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And "if you will not redeem it then you shall break its neck."
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It's very important to understand that if you don't
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redeem it, you're going to lose it anyway.
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I want you to apply that as we talk about the first
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of our finances, the first ten percent.
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He says, you're, if you don't bring it to me,
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you're going to lose it.
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You're still going to lose it.
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It's going out of your account.
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Watch this.
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"And all the firstborn of man among your sons
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you shall redeem."
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All right, so I have three points.
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If you're taking notes, I want you to write these down,
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the firstborn must be sacrificed or redeemed.
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That's the principal here in the Old Testament
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that is referring to a principal that goes all through the Bible.
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The firstborn must be sacrificed or redeemed.
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Okay, but how do you know which to do?
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How do you know whether you sacrifice it or redeem it?
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Well, he gives two animals which are exemplary
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of categories of animals.
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He gives us the donkey and the lamb, okay?
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The donkey represents unclean animals,
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and the lamb represents clean animals.
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So how do you know which to do?
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Well, if it's a clean animal, it has to be sacrificed,
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the firstborn.
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If it's an unclean animal, it has to be redeemed
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with the sacrifice of a clean.
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All right, let me say that one more time.
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If it's clean, firstborn.
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I'm hoping you kind of get ahead of me on this,
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and understand what this represents.
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If it's a clean, and it's firstborn,
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it has to be sacrificed.
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If it's unclean, it has to be redeemed
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with the sacrifice of a clean.
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Okay.
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How in the world does this relate to us today?
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Well let me ask you two questions, alright?
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First of all, were you and I spiritually born
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clean or unclean?
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In other words, when we were born in the natural,
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our spiritual state before God, were we born into this world,
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were we clean or unclean?
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Unclean.
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We are all born in sin, right?
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I can prove it by simply asking the experts here,
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the parents, did you have to teach your children to be bad?
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Or did that come naturally for them?
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See, we have to teach them to be good is that right?
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Because we're all born with a sin nature.
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That's what the Bible says, alright.
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So we were all born unclean.
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Was Jesus born unclean or clean?
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Clean, okay.
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Listen to me, listen very carefully.
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The clean, Jesus, the clean had to be sacrificed,
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so that the unclean could be redeemed.
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That's what we just read.
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That's how important this principal is.
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And we're going to see that this principal refers to tithing,
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but I want to say something to you that maybe
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you've never thought of.
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Jesus is God's tithe.
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Because you see, you give tithe first.
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You don't pay your bills and see if you have enough
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left over to tithe.
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You give the tithe first.
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It's the first ten percent.
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It's not just ten percent, it's the first ten percent.
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Because, it takes faith to give the first see, God said,
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"When your sheep has a lamb, give me the first one.
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It takes faith to give the first one before
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you have anymore.
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You don't know if the sheep's going to produce anymore.
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That takes faith.
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God didn't say, "Wait until your sheep has ten and then give
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me one of them and you can give me the one that keeps
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getting in your garden that you don't like."
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No, He said, "You give me the first one
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before you have any others."
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See, so many people think it's not the ten percent
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that enacts the blessing.
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It's the faith that enacts the blessing.
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It's giving the first ten percent.
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And the reason I say that, Jesus is God's tithe
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is because God gave Jesus first.
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He didn't wait to see if we would clean up or straighten up
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to give His son.
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God gave Jesus when we were mocking him and spitting
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on him and nailing him to a cross.
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Romans says it this way, "While we were yet sinners,
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Christ died for us."
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And Romans also said it this way,
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that God gave Jesus in hope.
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In hope.
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And that word, the root of that word is faith.
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In faith, we give our tithe in faith.
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So, it's the first ten percent.
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Think about this.
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When the children of Israel went into the promised land,
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God said bring all of the silver and gold from Jericho
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into the house of God.
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It's always into the house of God.
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That's always where the tithe goes.
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But, why didn't he say ten percent of Jericho?
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It's very simple.
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Because Jericho was the first city.
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It's simple.
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He said, "Bring the first into the house of the Lord,
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and the rest are redeemed."
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They're out from under the curse.
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They're blessed.
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See, the first portion has the redemptive,
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is the redemptive portion.
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So, the firstborn must be sacrificed or redeemed.
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Here's the second point.
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The first fruits must be offered.
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You can stay there in Exodus 13, look at Proverbs 3:9-10,
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"Honor the Lord with your possessions,
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and with the first fruits of all your increase."
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Bonuses, everything, "So your barns will be filled
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with plenty,and your vats will overflow with wine."
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Okay.
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That says to honor the Lord with the first of our increase.
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I just want to just make a note here.
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This is in Proverbs.
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This is not the law.
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This is not under the law.
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This is hundreds of years after the law.
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This is a principal that runs all through scripture.
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Let me show you another scripture.
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Exodus 23:19, "The first of the first fruits."
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I kind of like that phrase, because it's like God is saying,
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"Listen closely if you don't know what first means."
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"The first of the first fruits of your land,"
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now watch these words, "you shall bring,"
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that's the important word, "bring into the house
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of the Lord your God."
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Now we saw last weekend about Malachi, he said,
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"Bring the tithes into the storehouse."
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The tithe always comes to the church.
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You don't, you can't divide your tithe.
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You can't designate your tithe, you can't give
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it to somewhere else.
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But I want you to notice the word bring.
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The reason God uses the word "bring" instead of the word
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"give" when he talks about tithing, is because you can't
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give what doesn't belong to you.
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You have two choices according to scripture.
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And I know this is strong, but I've studied this for over
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30 years now.
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You have two choices when it comes to the tithe according
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to scripture.
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You can bring it, or you can steal it.
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Those are the only two choices.
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There's no other choice according to scripture.
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They either brought it, or they stole it.
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Remember when God said, bring all the silver and gold
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from Jericho that Achan kept some?
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And of course, the next city, then they lost the battle
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until they brought it to the house of God.
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But here was the point.
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In Joshua 6, God calls the tithe "consecrated" or set apart,
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same thing he called the first born.
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But in Joshua 7, once Achan took it, he said,
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"Israel has stolen from me, and they're cursed."
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They're cursed.
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It's consecrated when you bring it to the house of God.
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It's cursed if you leave it in your bank account.
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Here's a real simple, straightforward question,
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why would you want something cursed in your bank account?
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I mean, it has enough problems.
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Why wouldn't you want your bank account blessed?
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See, it takes faith to give the first.
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It takes faith to believe that 90% redeemed and blessed
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will go farther than 100% cursed.
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Watch.
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Genesis 4:3-5, "And in process of time," now those words
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are very important, "in the process of time it came
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to pass, that Cain brought an offering of the fruit
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of the ground unto the Lord."
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Notice it specifically does not say that he brought
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first fruits.
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He just brought an offering in the process of time.
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Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock
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and of their fat.
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And the Lord respected," or this word could be received,
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"Abel and his offering."
00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.160
Notice the person's received too, not just the offering.
00:12:05.190 --> 00:12:08.120
"But he did not respect" or receive,
00:12:08.150 --> 00:12:10.020
"Cain and his offering."
00:12:10.050 --> 00:12:13.060
It's simple, isn't it?
00:12:13.090 --> 00:12:14.270
Cain was a farmer.
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:16.130
He didn't bring first fruits.
00:12:16.160 --> 00:12:18.050
Abel was a rancher, he brought first born.
00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.060
God says, "I'll accept that, I will not accept that."
00:12:21.090 --> 00:12:24.180
Didn't accept it.
00:12:24.210 --> 00:12:26.030
Now I'm going to take it a little farther in this,
00:12:26.060 --> 00:12:28.130
and that is, it's not just that God wouldn't accept it,
00:12:28.160 --> 00:12:33.050
it's that God couldn't accept it.
00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:36.110
God can't be second.
00:12:36.140 --> 00:12:41.030
He can't be second.
00:12:41.060 --> 00:12:42.200
This is called the preeminence of God.
00:12:42.230 --> 00:12:44.210
You know, you've heard of eminence.
00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.110
But God is preeminent.
00:12:46.140 --> 00:12:47.170
That means He's not only first of all, He's before all.
00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:51.030
He's higher than all, He's above all, He's first,
00:12:51.060 --> 00:12:53.220
He's before all.
00:12:53.250 --> 00:12:54.220
So, God is first.
00:12:54.250 --> 00:12:56.080
Now we, when our lives, we talk about putting God first.
00:12:56.110 --> 00:12:59.040
And that's good, because we do need to put God first
00:12:59.070 --> 00:13:01.180
in our lives.
00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:02.170
But I just want you to know something.
00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:03.240
Even if God's not first in your life, He's still first.
00:13:03.270 --> 00:13:07.130
You didn't rearrange His order in the universe.
00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:11.130
He's still preeminent.
00:13:11.160 --> 00:13:13.030
So, God can never be second.
00:13:13.060 --> 00:13:15.100
So, this is why I'm telling you the reason God couldn't
00:13:15.130 --> 00:13:18.010
accept Cain's offering, is because God's always first,
00:13:18.040 --> 00:13:21.140
and Cain did not bring a first offering.
00:13:21.170 --> 00:13:25.290
And God says, "I'm sorry, I can't accept a second place
00:13:26.020 --> 00:13:29.030
offering, because I'm always in first place.
00:13:29.060 --> 00:13:32.100
I can't accept it."
00:13:32.130 --> 00:13:33.130
Now, we need to think about that,
00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:35.110
when it comes to the tithe.
00:13:35.140 --> 00:13:37.000
You remember I said Jesus is God's tithe.
00:13:37.030 --> 00:13:39.270
And I said to you last weekend, because we talked
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.200
about giving to the bride of Christ.
00:13:41.230 --> 00:13:44.240
And I said that tithing is probably more personal
00:13:44.270 --> 00:13:46.250
to Jesus than what we think.
00:13:46.280 --> 00:13:48.110
Okay, I want you to think about this.
00:13:48.140 --> 00:13:49.260
If Jesus is God's tithe, tithing might be a little
00:13:49.290 --> 00:13:53.030
more personal to the Father also than what we think.
00:13:53.060 --> 00:13:57.140
See, it represents who's first in your life.
00:13:57.170 --> 00:14:00.180
You can, and again, I know these, some of the things
00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:03.120
I'm saying are strong, but you can tell me all day God's
00:14:03.150 --> 00:14:05.270
first in your life, but let me see your bank account,
00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:10.060
and I'll tell you who's first.
00:14:10.090 --> 00:14:13.130
It might be Nordstrom's.
00:14:13.160 --> 00:14:16.290
Okay, ladies, let me hit the guys.
00:14:17.020 --> 00:14:18.130
It might Bass Pro Shops.
00:14:18.160 --> 00:14:23.040
Where does the first ten percent go?
00:14:23.070 --> 00:14:26.140
That's who's first.
00:14:26.170 --> 00:14:28.010
Alright, so, the first born must be sacrificed or redeemed.
00:14:28.040 --> 00:14:32.100
The first fruits must be offered.
00:14:32.130 --> 00:14:33.200
Here's point three.
00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:34.240
The tithe must be first.
00:14:34.270 --> 00:14:39.150
The tithe must be first.
00:14:39.180 --> 00:14:42.240
Leviticus 27:30, it says, "And all," I want you to notice
00:14:42.270 --> 00:14:46.210
the word all, "and all the tithe of the land,"
00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:51.160
all of it, " whether of the seed of the land,
00:14:51.190 --> 00:14:54.150
or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's:"
00:14:54.180 --> 00:14:57.220
there's the emphatic phrase again, belongs to God.
00:14:57.250 --> 00:15:00.240
God set it apart for himself.
00:15:00.270 --> 00:15:03.070
And that's what the next phrase says, " it is holy,"
00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:06.050
that word is the word that simply means set apart,
00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.270
it is set apart unto the Lord."
00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:11.250
That's why it's stealing.
00:15:11.280 --> 00:15:13.130
Because He set it apart to Himself.
00:15:13.160 --> 00:15:14.270
And that's why it has to be first, because God's first
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.020
and he owns it.
00:15:18.050 --> 00:15:19.230
So in order, in other words, if we're going to return it,
00:15:19.260 --> 00:15:21.240
we have to return it first.
00:15:21.270 --> 00:15:23.240
Okay, so I'm going to give you an illustration,
00:15:23.270 --> 00:15:26.220
and it's a math illustration, okay?
00:15:26.250 --> 00:15:29.150
I'm warning you, so half of you can take a nap, alright?
00:15:29.180 --> 00:15:33.050
Let's say that you're a landscaper and you come to our
00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.290
home and pastor Robert, I'm, you know, I call you
00:15:36.020 --> 00:15:41.070
and I say, "Listen, I'd like to add some plants,
00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:44.020
and some trees, and some flowers, and things, you know."
00:15:44.050 --> 00:15:46.220
And so, you give me an estimate.
00:15:46.250 --> 00:15:48.010
And you say, "Now, this is how much my materials will be.
00:15:48.040 --> 00:15:50.170
This is how my labor will be, and my profit will be $1.000.
00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:54.280
You need to know, the tithe is on profit.
00:15:55.010 --> 00:15:57.210
It's not on all of this, it's on the increase.
00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.040
Your personal increase, personal income,
00:16:00.070 --> 00:16:02.260
that's what we tithe on, okay.
00:16:02.290 --> 00:16:04.110
So, you say, "Are you agreeable to this whole price?"
00:16:04.140 --> 00:16:07.250
I say, "Yes I am."
00:16:07.280 --> 00:16:09.010
So after you do the job, I pay for all of your materials,
00:16:09.040 --> 00:16:11.100
all of your labors, and then for your profit,
00:16:11.130 --> 00:16:13.140
let's say that I give you ten $100 bills.
00:16:13.170 --> 00:16:16.110
So, you have $1.000 in your hand, okay.
00:16:16.140 --> 00:16:19.090
This is the math part, alright.
00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:20.250
So you have $1.000.
00:16:20.280 --> 00:16:22.100
Let me ask you two questions, alright.
00:16:22.130 --> 00:16:23.210
A thousand dollars, remember the word tithe means ten percent.
00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:26.120
So, how much is the tithe?
00:16:26.150 --> 00:16:29.270
$100, alright.
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:30.270
I know some of you still carry the -- okay.
00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:33.240
That's alright, that's okay.
00:16:33.270 --> 00:16:34.280
Alright so, it's $100 that's right.
00:16:35.010 --> 00:16:36.250
But you have ten hundred dollar bills in your hand,
00:16:36.280 --> 00:16:38.280
so which one is the tithe?
00:16:39.010 --> 00:16:41.040
The first one, yeah, okay.
00:16:41.070 --> 00:16:42.180
The one on top is what we said, alright.
00:16:42.210 --> 00:16:43.270
Let me say it to you a different way, alright.
00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:45.170
It's the first one that leaves your hand.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:49.060
That's the tithe.
00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:50.090
In other words, if you go home, and you say,
00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:52.080
"Let me set aside some for the mortgage, some for the car,
00:16:52.110 --> 00:16:54.270
some for utilities, some for clothes, and here's God's part."
00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:58.150
No, that's not God's part.
00:16:58.180 --> 00:16:59.250
You gave God's part to the mortgage company.
00:16:59.280 --> 00:17:03.180
Because, here's what a lot of people do.
00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:05.100
Okay, let me set aside some for this and this and this,
00:17:05.130 --> 00:17:07.220
and oh, there's not enough leftover for God.
00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:12.240
Can I say something nicely to you, but firmly?
00:17:12.270 --> 00:17:16.000
He wouldn't accept it anyway.
00:17:16.030 --> 00:17:17.180
Because our God does not accept leftovers.
00:17:17.210 --> 00:17:21.240
As a matter of fact, he says it in Malachi.
00:17:21.270 --> 00:17:23.270
He says, "You bring me the blind and the lame animals,
00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.220
and I do not accept them.
00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:32.030
I accept the first.
00:17:32.060 --> 00:17:34.070
That's all I accept."
00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:35.150
Okay, so, how does this work out in my own life?
00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:38.060
I get paid on the 15th and 30th, or the last day
00:17:38.090 --> 00:17:41.260
of the month, 30th, 31st, and it's directly deposited.
00:17:41.290 --> 00:17:45.060
So, it's like it magically appears, you know,
00:17:45.090 --> 00:17:47.230
on my account.
00:17:47.260 --> 00:17:48.290
So what I do on the 15th and the last day of the month,
00:17:49.020 --> 00:17:51.130
is while I'm having my quiet time in the morning,
00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:54.110
before I do anything else, I go online and that's the way now,
00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:58.170
I think it's just easiest to give online.
00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:00.210
I go online and I send the tithe to Gateway Church.
00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:05.120
So what happens though, if I have an early morning
00:18:05.150 --> 00:18:08.260
meeting and I kind of rush out, I don't have my quiet
00:18:08.290 --> 00:18:11.290
time that day, and I get home that night, and I think,
00:18:12.020 --> 00:18:15.020
"Oh, it's the 15th, I forgot to do the tithe."
00:18:15.050 --> 00:18:17.170
And I go in and I notice that Debbie has been
00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.280
to the grocery store that day.
00:18:20.010 --> 00:18:21.150
Okay, what I do, I don't say, "Well that's great, sugar,
00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:23.290
we're cursed.
00:18:24.020 --> 00:18:28.050
That's great.
00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:29.070
I mean, you gave the tithe to Krogers and so
00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:30.210
we're cursed now."
00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:32.100
No, because I'm not legalistic about it.
00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:34.260
Now listen to me.
00:18:34.290 --> 00:18:35.210
God's not legalistic either.
00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:37.070
I'm not trying to give you a legalistic principal today.
00:18:37.100 --> 00:18:39.180
I'm trying to give you your principal that's about
00:18:39.210 --> 00:18:41.110
your heart.
00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:43.170
Where's your heart?
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:44.190
God knows my heart, and He knows your heart.
00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:46.100
Where's your heart?
00:18:46.130 --> 00:18:47.140
So the first ten percent goes to the house of God.
00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:51.090
Now, Exodus 13, let me show you one more scripture,
00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:55.060
and then we're finished, alright?
00:18:55.090 --> 00:18:56.280
We stopped awhile ago at verse 13, so let's pick it up
00:18:57.010 --> 00:18:58.290
at verse 14.
00:18:59.020 --> 00:19:00.240
"So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come,
00:19:00.270 --> 00:19:06.070
saying, 'What is this?'
00:19:06.100 --> 00:19:08.260
Okay, in other words, he's saying one day your son's going
00:19:08.290 --> 00:19:10.180
to ask you, why are you killing these animals.
00:19:10.210 --> 00:19:13.200
"That you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand,'"
00:19:13.230 --> 00:19:16.230
by a mighty hand, "the Lord brought us out of Egypt,
00:19:16.260 --> 00:19:20.210
out of the house of bondage; and it came to pass,
00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:24.080
when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord
00:19:24.110 --> 00:19:27.020
killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
00:19:27.050 --> 00:19:29.270
both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beasts.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.140
Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the
00:19:32.170 --> 00:19:37.260
womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'"
00:19:37.290 --> 00:19:43.060
He said, "One day your son's going to ask you."
00:19:43.090 --> 00:19:46.080
And He said, "When he asks you, you say to your son,
00:19:46.110 --> 00:19:49.280
"Son, I need to tell you something about our family
00:19:50.010 --> 00:19:56.110
that you don't know.
00:19:56.140 --> 00:20:01.020
But we weren't always in the ranching business.
00:20:01.050 --> 00:20:05.180
We did not own animals.
00:20:05.210 --> 00:20:09.220
We didn't own land.
00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:14.040
Son, we were slaves.
00:20:14.070 --> 00:20:19.110
We were in bondage.
00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:25.130
But God, with a mighty hand redeemed us,
00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:36.070
and gave us everything we have now.
00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:40.050
Therefore, we gladly give to God the firstborn
00:20:40.080 --> 00:20:46.250
of all of our increase.
00:20:46.280 --> 00:20:47.290
Now, this was written 4.000 years ago,
00:20:48.020 --> 00:20:54.130
and this principal happened to me.
00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:57.280
When Josh was kind of getting old enough
00:20:58.010 --> 00:21:00.160
to understand numbers and all, and he has this mathematical
00:21:00.190 --> 00:21:03.210
mind like I do and like his grandfather.
00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:06.090
And so one day I was paying the bills.
00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:08.290
Now, we didn't have online back then.
00:21:09.020 --> 00:21:10.260
And so, what I would do is, I would write the check first.
00:21:10.290 --> 00:21:13.280
And then I would set the check, the tithe check,
00:21:14.010 --> 00:21:16.000
and then I would set it over aside,
00:21:16.030 --> 00:21:17.100
and then I would pay the bills.
00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:18.180
But I would always write the tithe check first and set it
00:21:18.210 --> 00:21:20.050
over to the side, and then take it with me to church.
00:21:20.080 --> 00:21:22.240
By the way, for you young people, we used to have pieces
00:21:22.270 --> 00:21:25.010
of paper called checks.
00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:29.120
Alright, so I'd set it over aside.
00:21:29.150 --> 00:21:32.040
So I'm paying the bills, and Josh came in,
00:21:32.070 --> 00:21:34.130
and I'm watching him out of the corner of my eye.
00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:38.060
And he's reading this tithe check, and he sees the amount,
00:21:38.090 --> 00:21:41.040
which to a young boy looks like a lot of money.
00:21:41.070 --> 00:21:45.040
And he says, "Dad, why are you giving so much to the church?"
00:21:45.070 --> 00:21:54.110
And I remember this scripture when your son asks you,
00:21:54.140 --> 00:21:58.170
this is what you tell them.
00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:01.070
And I took Josh, and I actually set him on my lap,
00:22:01.100 --> 00:22:03.140
and I said to him, "I need to tell you something about
00:22:03.170 --> 00:22:13.000
daddy that you don't know.
00:22:13.030 --> 00:22:19.110
But daddy wasn't always a Christian, son,
00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:22.230
and daddy was a very bad man.
00:22:22.260 --> 00:22:27.130
And daddy was in bondage.
00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:33.280
But God with a mighty hand redeemed your daddy and gave us
00:22:34.010 --> 00:22:45.040
everything we have now.
00:22:45.070 --> 00:22:47.230
Therefore, I gladly give to God the first of all
00:22:47.260 --> 00:22:53.180
of my increase."
00:22:53.210 --> 00:22:58.240
This is a principal that's all through scripture.
00:22:58.270 --> 00:23:03.110
It's called the Principal of First.
00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:06.230
Is God first in your life?
00:23:06.260 --> 00:23:08.240
Is God really first in your life?
00:23:09.190 --> 00:23:13.120
You know, I really believe deep in your heart, He is.
00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:16.150
So, I want to encourage you to put God first
00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:18.110
in your finances as well.
00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:20.210
Tithe to your local church.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.090
God set it up, and God did it so He could actually bless
00:23:24.120 --> 00:23:28.170
us and remind us that He's the one that set us free
00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:33.060
from the bondage of sin.
00:23:33.090 --> 00:23:35.160
Thanks so much for watching.
00:23:35.190 --> 00:23:36.290
I want to encourage you to get the series and the book
00:23:37.020 --> 00:23:39.030
so you can go deeper in this subject.
00:23:39.060 --> 00:23:41.090
See you next time.
00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:42.260
ANNOUNCER: It's our desire for you to live a blessed life.
00:23:43.170 --> 00:23:45.280
But all too often, greed and materialism can choke out
00:23:46.010 --> 00:23:49.010
the true spirit of generosity that's found
00:23:49.040 --> 00:23:51.080
only in Christ.
00:23:51.110 --> 00:23:53.150
The enemy will do anything to keep you from discovering
00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:56.000
God's principles for financial stewardship,
00:23:56.030 --> 00:23:58.170
giving, and blessing.
00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:00.080
And it's because once you apply these godly principles
00:24:00.110 --> 00:24:03.020
as Pastor Robert has outlined in this series,
00:24:03.050 --> 00:24:05.190
you'll begin to see change in every area of your life.
00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:08.230
From your marriage, to your health, to your finances.
00:24:08.260 --> 00:24:11.200
Your life will be transformed for the better,
00:24:11.230 --> 00:24:13.210
and you will be positioned to make an even bigger impact
00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:16.160
for the kingdom of God.
00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:18.220
We would like for you to have a copy of these
00:24:18.250 --> 00:24:20.070
life-changing messages.
00:24:20.100 --> 00:24:21.280
Right now, for your gift of any amount, we'll send you
00:24:22.010 --> 00:24:24.170
Pastor Robert's signature series "The Blessed Life"
00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:27.080
on CD as our thank-you for helping us to continue
00:24:27.110 --> 00:24:29.270
ministering to people around the world.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:32.250
And if you give a gift of $75 or more, we'll send you
00:24:32.280 --> 00:24:35.260
this series on both CD and DVD, as well as
00:24:35.290 --> 00:24:38.230
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00:24:38.260 --> 00:24:42.050
Finally, if you are able to give a gift of $95 or more,
00:24:42.080 --> 00:24:45.240
we'll add a second copy of the book and companion study
00:24:45.270 --> 00:24:48.080
guide so that you can share this incredible message
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with someone else in your life.
00:24:51.010 --> 00:24:53.160
Log on to pastorrobert.com or give us a call today.
00:24:53.190 --> 00:24:56.120
And thank you for your continued support
00:24:56.150 --> 00:24:58.120
of The Blessed Life.
00:24:58.150 --> 00:25:00.040
00:25:00.070 --> 00:25:02.120
REED PREJEAN: I would consider us to be contributors,
00:25:02.150 --> 00:25:04.160
not tithers.
00:25:04.190 --> 00:25:05.250
We never felt like we could afford to pay a full ten percent
00:25:05.280 --> 00:25:09.200
tithe on the money.
00:25:09.230 --> 00:25:11.050
We never felt like we could afford that.
00:25:11.080 --> 00:25:12.210
And if we did, we wouldn't have enough money
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.150
for the rest of our life.
00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:19.020
We read "The Blessed Life" and realized that we weren't
00:25:19.050 --> 00:25:23.220
tithing, and that we needed to start.
00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:25.270
And that really changed our perspective.
00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:28.120
That was the beginning of us being, becoming cheerful givers.
00:25:28.150 --> 00:25:32.230
Kara regularly watches James Robinson's TV show.
00:25:32.260 --> 00:25:36.100
They're always talking about water wells.
00:25:36.130 --> 00:25:38.170
KARA PREJEAN: Water's always been dear to my heart.
00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:40.160
And so, it's a ministry we really like to support.
00:25:40.190 --> 00:25:43.150
I saw the program with the opportunity
00:25:43.180 --> 00:25:45.150
to give a water well.
00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:46.230
I called Reed, and he said, "Oh yeah, we definitely want
00:25:46.260 --> 00:25:49.100
to do it."
00:25:49.130 --> 00:25:50.120
REED: We were able to buy that one water well.
00:25:50.150 --> 00:25:52.280
My company was in the process of being purchased
00:25:53.010 --> 00:25:55.160
by a bigger company.
00:25:55.190 --> 00:25:57.090
This year, we were told that they were going
00:25:57.120 --> 00:25:59.200
to contribute a certain percentage of our salary
00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:02.000
into this ESOP Program.
00:26:02.030 --> 00:26:03.120
And it just so happens that the exact amount that they
00:26:03.150 --> 00:26:06.060
put into our 401K was ten times what we donated on the
00:26:06.090 --> 00:26:10.250
water well.
00:26:10.280 --> 00:26:12.010
KARA: It's about blessing other people with whatever
00:26:12.040 --> 00:26:14.110
means we have available to us.
00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:16.110
We recognize that it's all about giving, and not about
00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:19.090
getting anything in return.
00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:20.250
REED: We knew that it was the right thing to do.
00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:23.080
And we had such a joy in writing that check.
00:26:23.110 --> 00:26:27.110
And so, that's where our hearts are now.
00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:30.090
It's all about cheerful giving.
00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:31.270
Whatever God leads you to do, you know it's going
00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:33.200
to be something that's good.
00:26:33.230 --> 00:26:35.110
Once you let go of it, that's when the peace really
00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:38.230
comes, because as long as you're holding onto it,
00:26:38.260 --> 00:26:42.060
you don't really get that peace that God gives you.
00:26:42.090 --> 00:26:44.280
And that peace is part of the blessed life.
00:26:45.010 --> 00:26:47.190
00:26:47.220 --> 00:27:01.190
ANNOUNCER: Living your best life isn't about having a dream home,
00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:04.240
wonderful kids, or the ideal job.
00:27:04.270 --> 00:27:08.010
It's about changes in your family, health,
00:27:08.040 --> 00:27:10.190
and relationships.
00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.140
When God changes your heart, you'll discover
00:27:12.170 --> 00:27:14.220
that there is so much more to life.
00:27:14.250 --> 00:27:17.040
With humor, passion, and clarity,
00:27:17.070 --> 00:27:20.080
Pastor Robert presents,
00:27:20.110 --> 00:27:21.240
"The Secrets of Living Your Best Life."
00:27:21.270 --> 00:27:24.020

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The Principle of First

The Principle of First

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The Principle of First

The Principle of First

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