Living Our Faith

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him." Romans 12:1

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Firstfruits

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This Sunday we will look at the third feast in our series on the feasts of Israel as described in Leviticus 23 – the Feast of Firstfruits.

Our Scripture readings are Leviticus 23:9-14 and 1 Corinthians 15:12-22.

In our relationship with God, one of the most difficult things that we wrestle with is trust.

Do we trust Him fully?

Do we trust Him to meet our needs?

Do we trust that He knows best?

Based on what He has done and given to us, do we trust that He will keep providing? Or do we start stocking up, keep from God what is His, because we aren’t sure if something in the house will break or if we can live without the coffee or the extra groceries in the pantry or the extra perks on the vacation?

When the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, God instructed them to observe the Feast of Firstfruits so that they would always remind themselves that it is God who provides for them. As the first crop of the year came in – whether it looked good or not, or whether last year’s crop was poor or not – God commanded them to gather up the first fruits of that crop and offer it to Him. This was an act of deep trust. In the act of gathering up the first fruits, it demonstrated their complete and utter reliance upon God. What if the rest of the crop failed? What if the rain stopped? What if …?

The Feast of Firstfruits was God’s way of reminding the Israelites that He could be trusted. As they walked among their crop, as they gathered it up, as they offered it, as the priest waved it … in all these actions God said, “Trust me.” As the crop came in God called them to trust that the rest would come, that He would provide for them.

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We see this providing and call to trust God in Jesus, as well. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus “has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:20) As the firstfruits, Jesus is the guarantee of what God is doing with us. He is the beginning of a great harvest, where all who are in him will be raised from the dead, given renewed bodies, and be brought into the presence of God. This glorious promise calls us to trust God. 

But ... do we trust Him fully?

Do we trust that, in Jesus, God has freed us from sin and slavery to live in service to Him both now and for all eternity?

Do we trust Him enough to turn our whole lives over to Him? Our career, our finances, our past, our present, our future …?

God’s gift of Jesus as our firstfruits calls us to live grateful and obedient lives to Him. In Jesus, God offered the sacrifice, God made the guarantee, God put His reputation on the line … for us.

In this way, God demonstrated to us that He can be trusted. As Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit as God’s gift of hope and salvation to the world, as Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and how we are to live, as He was opposed by the religious leaders, as He was arrested and charged and stood slient before his accusers, as He died – the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world – the cruel death on the cross, and as He was raised to life for our salvation … in all these actions God says, “Trust me.”

“Trust Me … that I have provided your Saviour.”

“Trust Me … that through Him your sins are forgiven and you are restored to Me.”

“Trust Me … that as I have done for Him I will do for all who believe.” 

“Trust Me … in everything.”

“Trust me …” 

It is to this trust and a life of obedience that the Feast of Firstfruits points us to.

God has provided the firstfruits. God will provide the rest. Trust Him.

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  • Guest
    Jean Kuipers Friday, 13 March 2015

    I love learning about these feasts in depth. Your understanding of the scriptures and ability to relate it to today's times is inspiring to me. Although we do not celebrate this way, the references to the N ew Testament and what is required of us today is still real because of those feasts. Each of these feasts are reminding me of the great things God has done for me and that I must strife to be more appreciative to him. Thank you Jean Kuipers

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