The Feast of Firstfruits Pastor Nathan Weller May 28, 2017 Series: Fantastic Feasts (and Who You Find In Them

Firstfruits is a celebration of trusting God

9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. 11 On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf. 12 On that same day you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb with no defects as a burnt... (cont’d) --Leviticus 23.9-14 (NLT)

...offering to the Lord. 13 With it you must present a grain offering consisting of four quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil. It will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. You must also offer one quart of wine as a liquid offering. 14 Do not eat any bread or roasted grain or fresh kernels on that day until you bring this offering to your God. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation wherever you live. --Leviticus 23.9-14 (NLT)

Firstfruits is a sacrificial act of trust

--Proverbs 3.5-6 (NIV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. --Proverbs 3.5-6 (NIV)

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. --Proverbs 3.7-10 (NIV)

In the early morning hours, the people gathered in the open squares of the district towns and started their journey to Jerusalem, singing "Arise ye and let us go up to Zion, unto the Lord our God." The people walked in procession headed by an ox whose horns were wreathed with gold and silver, and his head with olive branches. The pilgrims were accompanied by musicians playing the flute. Rich people took the first fruits in baskets... (cont’d)

...of silver and gold, while the poor carried them in wicker baskets made of peeled willow branches (which they gave to the priests together with the first fruits). The baskets contained the choicest fruits and had pigeons perched on top; these were sacrificed at the Temple. At the outskirts of Jerusalem, the procession was met by the Temple prefects and treasurers, and the pilgrims were escorted amid the cheers of the populace... (cont’d)

...to the Temple Mount. There the choir of the levites welcomed them with the chanting of Psalm 30. Originally, everyone who could recite the confession did so by himself. However, in order not to shame those who did not know the text (and might, therefore, refrain from offering the first fruit) it was ordained that all people repeat the confession as it was read to them by the priest. --The Mishnah (Bik. 3:2–9)--

Firstfruits was a time to show gratitude

1 “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in... (cont’d) --Deuteronomy 26.1-11 (ESV)

...office at that time and say, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became... (cont’d) --Deuteronomy 26.1-11 (ESV)

9 And he brought us into this place and... (cont’d) ...a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and... (cont’d) --Deuteronomy 26.1-11 (ESV)

the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. ...gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. --Deuteronomy 26.1-11 (ESV)

Jesus is the firstfruit of those to rise from the dead

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (cont’d) --1 Corinthians 15.20-24 (NLT)

he delivers the kingdom to God the Father 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. --1 Corinthians 15.20-24 (NLT)

Jesus is the Passover Lamb

Jesus is the Passover Lamb Jesus is the Unleavened Bread (Yeast/Sin free)

Jesus is the Passover Lamb Jesus is the Unleavened Bread (Yeast/Sin free) Jesus is the Firstfruit of those to rise from the dead

What urgent matter in my life do I need to let go of and trust you to handle it?

What urgent matter in my life do I need to let go of and trust you to handle it? Bring it forward during the last song and put it on the communion table.

What urgent matter in my life do I need to let go of and trust you to handle it? Bring it forward during the last song and put it on the communion table. If/Then: If you run into the situation then pray: Lord I trust you with this _______ thank you for being so good to me.

The Feast of Firstfruits Pastor Nathan Weller May 28, 2017 Series: Fantastic Feasts (and Who You Find In Them