OUTLINE:

Finances, First Fruits, and Heart Issues
8/17/17

Simplicity and Purity (2Co 1:3)
We must guard our hearts from the subtleties of deception. Our job is to ”put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Ro 13:14).

Don’t Be a Sucker For the Lies!
We must put on “the full armor of God” (ala Eph 6:11), put on “the new self” (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10), put on “faith and love” (1Th 5:8)!

Guard Your Hearts
Taking care of your vineyard means a multitude of things. Sometimes you’re watering it, other times you’re protecting it from the elements.

Lk 12:34
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Personal Finances Are PERSONAL!
Never, EVER look to your left or to your right and judge another person for what they do with their personal finances. That is none of your business! Besides, YOU will suffer when doing so.

Eyes Front, Soldier!
If you march forward with your head turned sideways, eventually you’re going to injure yourself! Stop concerning yourself with the finances of others. Consider your own and keep your eyes on Christ!

Heart Issues Regarding Finances
Neither greed nor asceticism is righteous. The problem with both is that the human heart is wrong about finances. The ONLY righteous way is that which is found in the Word; but one must ALWAYS interpret Holy Scripture IN CONTEXT!!!

Heart Issues Regarding Finances
It doesn’t even matter if you have the “treasure” that is leading your mind astray, for even a broke person in a dirt-floored hut could be more prone to the love of money than a billionaire somewhere else.

Balance Statement
God wants our first fruits, which means to give priority to Him, honoring Him with your income, giving from your heart, for “God loves a cheerful giver” (2Co 9:7). The Bible never states that you cannot save for the future or be prepared financially. In fact, it contains many balance statements.

False Doctrine
Having health insurance, a retirement account, money in the bank, a home, a vehicle that is paid for, or any other form of measurable wealth is wrong and indicative of a lack of faith. <— THAT statement is NOT Biblical!

Heart issues are never void of faith and capacity issues.

Balance Statement
First fruits implies giving offerings to God first. The Bible never says that we ought to give everything in the offering basket or to our neighbor in need, for implied in “first” is “the rest”. Motivation is KEY! God sees the heart. (e.g. Mk 14:3-9)

First Fruits
Money is the result of something much more fundamental - hard work. It seems the greatest failure nowadays is not giving first fruits in our time/energy…of US!

Quality, Not Quantity
Hard work is a much closer issue to the heart than money. The Lord rewards good laborers, saying “well done, good slave” to the one who labors most (ref. Lk 19:12-27). In fact, the Lord rewards that person with even more grace than those who work less.

First Fruits
One of the greatest lacks of first fruit giving is in the realm of laboring for the Lord.