The Principle of First

Robert Morris @ Lakewood Church

• Don't let the enemy convince you that you don't matter.
• Exodus 13:1-2, 12-13 NIV
• The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”   you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord . Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.
• 1. The first born must be sacrificed or redeemed.
• It's a shadow of what's to come.
• Cleaned animals must be sacrificed uncleaned animals must be redeemed with the life of an unclean animal.
• We are all born unclean.
• Jesus was born clean.
• 2. The first fruits must be offered.
• Exodus 23:19 NIV
• “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
• Genesis 4:3-5 NIV
• In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord . And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
• Genesis 4:3-5 MSG
• Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn’t get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.
• Cain gave what he wanted when he wanted.
• 3. The tithe must be first.
• Leviticus 27:30-33 MSG
• “A tenth of the land’s produce, whether grain from the ground or fruit from the trees, is God ’s. It is holy to God . If a man buys back any of the tenth he has given, he must add twenty percent to it. A tenth of the entire herd and flock, every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod, is holy to God . He is not permitted to pick out the good from the bad or make a substitution. If he dishonestly makes a substitution, both animals, the original and the substitute, become the possession of the Sanctuary and cannot be redeemed.”
• Law is to give us guidelines and to frustrate us.