Invest In The Church
by Dan Gibson
February 20, 2025 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Matthew 6:33, 2 Samuel 24:24, Leviticus 23:10-11, Proverbs 3:9, Romans 11:16, Ezekiel 44:30, Matthew 6:33

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/dan-gibson--invest-in-the-church-3
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
God bless you you may be seated uh we will we have prayer request but we'll do that in just a little bit and a lot of announcements and things of that nature but want to just kind of go into our lesson um tonight and um last year uh we started our year off and we ended up the entire year talking about the kingdom um and that was our theme our text for that was Matthew 6 and33 and I I want to just draw from that scripture just for a moment because I think it's important to see a portion of this scripture but in Matthew the 6 chapter verse 33 and you can read it with us if you would but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you the very first portion of that scripture was but seek ye first the kingdom it's very important to us that we we see this because in our adventure or our journey this year we're talking about the Tabernacle it's very important that we do what we seek first God that everything we do hinges on him first everything that we accomplish comes through him so when we look at this first things first first things first that is God and his kingdom that is what we should be concentrating on in the Tabernacle we have been studying about it and we have we we've got uh plenty more to come uh there is so much resource here I I as a matter of fact I I I'm just trying to put the brakes on about some things because I will go down a hole and we will get lost but but in the Tabernacle we talked to this this past month this or this month we have talked about the importance of of detail that was put into the Tabernacle there were things that had to be done uh to get to a certain place in the Tabernacle you couldn't just walk in and walk to that and do that there was things of importance um I was I was just reading and passing just a few days ago in

2 Kings the 24th chapter verse 24 that passage of scripture talks about David David has sinned against God and he he's telling God he says everything that has been done against the kingdom against the people of God uh bring it upon me God he says because there was men dying there was things happening God was pouring out wrath upon Israel and David mentions In this passage of scripture and in passing I just wrote this in there so you can write it down and look at it later but but I wrote this down David spoke and said I will not sacrifice anything that I have not paid for in other words I am not going to bring some sacrifice because this this particular Passage was talking about they were bringing him uh the wood off of instruments and saying hey you can take this and burn this and this could be your wood and then we've got oxen that you could use and these people were bringing what we would call strange objects to the house of God or to David to present to God and David says no way I am going to make sure that what even if I use that I'm going to pay for it I'm not going to bring something to you that is uh a second I'm not going to bring something to you that does not belong to me uh you know again we we talk about sacrifice we cannot bring bring sacrifice somebody else's sacrifice to the house of God we have to do that ourselves and in looking at though first fruits and that's what we're going to talk about tonight and looking at first fruits Leviticus the 23rd chapter and verse 10 Leviticus 23rd chapter and we have been kind of around Leviticus because that is where we we have the laws we have those those guidelines that that was given to Moses but in

Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 10 and I will read this from an A Bridge version because uh uh you know the the way that these are pronounced in the in the King James Sometimes you get the wherefores and uh it just kind of stumbles and staggers around to me I want to see it a little clearer but the scripture here says when you come into the land which and this is God speaking through Moses when you come into the land that that I have given them you to take the first and and reap whatever you reap from the Harvest that first you take it and you bring a sheath of that first fruit of that sacrifice you bring that to the priest you bring that Harvest to the priest he says you take whatever you have sheave it up how many you know what that looks like now I I I won't go into the Torah because it even talks about some other things but but you you were to take and and and you bundle it up so whatever wheat whatever grain you bundle it up and you bring it to the Tabernacle you bring it to the priest the scripture goes on in verse 11 and he says that the priest would take it and he would wave it he takes it and picks it up and he waves it and when he waves it that is that is is to represent that it is going to be accepted of the Lord now you know looking at this when we look at Harvest and we look at Harvest Time tell me somebody tell me real quick what what goes into Harvest w r k lots and lots of work there is there is things that happens in Harvest and there is something that happens to a farmer when he sees those how many have Ever Raised Tomatoes yeah cucumbers and you're waiting until it gets just right it's you're you're waiting for those first fruits but it was it was the law in that day and time that when you got your first fruits the first fruits didn't go on your table the first fruits were gathered and they were brought to the priest and there was nothing else harvested until you saw that wave nothing else was to be taken out of that field until it was blessed we en liken this into the is Israelites and there the significance behind that is is the Israelites saw the church and saw the house of God as investment it was I brought this because why I want my family to be blessed I want my crops to be blessed if you brought any other let's just say you went ahead and had your meal and then you brought some more that was not accepted it was first first fruits this was the first yieldings of the first fruits now we know that around that there was there was different types of of feast that was going on there was a lot being established Moses introduced the children of Israel to the first fruits when he brought them out of captivity he brought them out so that he showed them okay when we get here whatever you have have whatever the first is you give that to God and he shows them how to do that this is something that I think is very important that we teach our children as well is that whatever you have whatever it is you give that to the Lord it belongs to him the rules was is first fruits first of the first fruits that was the actual termin ology first of the first fruits that means when you were gathering okay this is the first it goes to the priest it goes to it goes to the house of God the Hebrew word there for first fruits we will not go into detail on how to pronunciate that so we'll bypass that if you don't mind but it's interpretation is promise to come so it was to it was the promise that would be coming after you presented that to the Lord is they knew that if they invested in this they gave it to God that God would bless whatever they gave

Proverbs the 3r chapter verse 9 Proverbs the 3r chapter verse 9 somebody read that for us no we don't have it up there okay you were to honor the Lord with what whatever you've got those things that God gives you again you seek God first seek the kingdom first his righteousness all the other things is going to be added so you bring that to him first you bring all of those that first fruit to him honor the Lord with your worth that first fruits and all of that is that you have as far as crops so you were to honor God with that you gave it to the Lord I I was looking through some other passages and in the in the new king James version or in the New Testament Testament in the new King James version he was talking about first fruits I want you to look at this

Romans the 11th chapter verse 16 Romans the 11th chapter and verse 16 I I I really think that this is one of those scriptures that that gives us a little depth to what we're talk talking about here for if the first fruits is Holy the lump the loaf the bread it's holy notice the second part and if the roots be holy then what is Holy the branches are holy you know this this thing started twisting on me because I think a lot of times you know uh we we get to talking about um you know what we are doing for the kingdom of God but this goes deeper than just us this is something that I if you want your family to be blessed we even read that that job even he would give sacrifice for his children be just in case did not understand if there was something going on or if there was something happening in their household I I he brought sacrifice and did sacrifice for his children these are things that that it it goes deeper than just me it goes deeper than just me coming to the house of God and me doing what I'm supposed to be doing this also blesses my children it blesses my children's children you see there there we do talk about curses and curses being of of those Generations why because there was a blessing that was missed somewhere God wants us to he wants us to bring our best but not only are we bringing our best for for our family but our family's family those that are in our our household those that are around us we we find each and every one of these tribes there was things that the scripture tells us about different tribes and different things that was going on in those in those households and because of that the entire the entire family suffered those people were kicked out why because there was sin in their camps those are things that we have to consider when we're talking about first fruits is it's not just about me bringing a tithe to the house of God has nothing to do with that it has nothing to do with the calculator sorry it has to do with the fact that God I want my children blessed I I want my family to be saved I want to see things happen in my family I want to see things happen in the church they're investing you're investing in the house of God and what is an investment a investment is that that you're putting something in and you know that there's going to be something that comes out of that and no matter what it may be you're teaching your children that that was very uh very good idea and and thought went into the fact of us doing the coins that we do online and you know we get in a busy world and we do online and our children don't get to see that they don't see it but now we're teaching them that that you take this coin and this is be I've already made that that commitment I've already done that but baby this is why we do this and you're giving it to your children your children are getting to come up they're getting to drop that in the plate it has nothing to do with that little plastic coin nothing has nothing to do with what transaction went in on the on the computer because that becomes what we're doing is we're creating a heart we're creating a spirit we're creating something something inside that child something inside of those that are watching you those that are around you we're creating that saying this is what you do unto the Lord this is a this is something I bring him Paul says he says if your first fruits are blessed then whatever at first fruits goes into whatever that that you do with the rest of that it's going to be blessed too I I I don't know how many times in my uh in in our time of ministry and in our me in Karen and I would sit down and we would you know I don't know how this is going to work anybody remember you know anything about that don't know how this is going to work as a matter of fact please do not pull the calculator out it will scare you but when you start you start trusting God and you start saying okay God I'm doing everything I know to do and I'm doing it I'm not doing it just to receive but I know that you are a provider I know that you are blessing down the road he's already got things lined up down down the road and you don't even know that the blessings of the Lord it is those as the Greek word or the Hebrew word says promises to come those things that God is going to do in your life the things that God's going to provide in your life it is those things and yes sometimes it gets to the point you're saying okay God how don't ask him how don't ask him how he works it out

Ezekiel the 4 44th chapter Ezekiel 44 verse 30 Ezekiel 44:30 I wasn't even going to pull that one out but I somehow it got in there somebody will read that for me Ezekiel 44:30 obligation yeah that he may cause what the blessing to rest where in thy house you to bring whatever you have to the house of the Lord You're to bring those those first fruits those first givings those things that that God has provided for you those things that you see that is it belongs to the Lord I I uh some years ago uh Pastor Price from Arkansas he he put together a Bible study and he began to present this to many of the churches that are in Arkansas but it was in that in that Bible study he talked about first hour most of that if you were to take and pull the Torah out and start reading it you would understand what he's talking about at the very beginning of the day the very beginning of the day the first day that first of the week whatever they made and and this was this was just something that really blessed church but that first day that first hour anything that came in during that first hour belonged to the Lord that was not the tithe that was your blessings that you would bring to the house of God the things that God has blessed you with you brought that to the house of God and that was something that was given out of your heart and you brought that before the Lord and I don't know how many churches and we we he's he's got testimony after testimony how the church blessed and how the church was blessed and how the church was able to bless and he had those testimonies that rolled out because of that and it was all because of the principle of understanding first fruits understanding that there is there is something to be said and this is not the law we we don't live under the law law that they lived under it was the principle though it was the principle that they rolled out during that day that that is what we live by today is saying God this belongs to you this belongs to you we honor the Lord with whatever we've got whatever it is what wealth that you have those first fruits everything belongs to God it would be nice to say that we could live we could give the 90% and live off of the other right everything that we're talking about here is an investment in the kingdom of God everything that we talk about I mentioned to you job earlier job is one of those that that love God there was things about job's life and we talk about all of the all of the trouble that he had but that was not that was not entirely job's life that was just a portion of his life that he went through but job is going through all of the troubles and trials but yet he still finds it in his heart that he is going to take and sacrifice unto the Lord everything that has burnt down around him all of the things that he has has been taken from him he still loved God the scripture says that job took and he placed himself in the Heap of Ashes I don't know Bible does not tell us this in what we have read but I want to believe this that job probably sat there on that heap of Ashes brother Tim and thought about all of the sacrifices that he had given the things that he had done and he would say what would be the words that come out of his mouth the lord giveth the lord taketh away Blessed Be His holy name he would sit on that heap of ashes and I I'm sure that he would and the scripture tells us that he would scrape those sores and there would be things that was happening to his body but he still loved God I I I want to bring this to your moment you for just a moment there is something to be said about the fact that even though life is not always what we think it should be we're still going to honor God and God if there's nothing else left to honor you with I'll go and I'll sit down in the middle of that heap of ashes and God here I am I will sacrifice myself and say God this is this is me I'm coming to you I don't have anything else why because of the heart our heart has to be set on the things of God upon the plan of God and what God has planned for us of often times wondered in reading through the scriptures how is it that a man could be in so much turmoil in his life out here but there's something that happen happens at this gate when he's able to present his sacrifice to the priest at this gate there is a transition that happens in that man's life in that family's life in the life of those that are that that that that are with him I I don't know exactly all of the I mean we we find stories where where that they're able to walk up there and and and hand their sacrifices and we see those stories in the Bible but there's things about that there's something that has to be going going on spiritually there in that person's life I know that a lot of this is symbolic to you and I it it it's strictly a symbol and and it's a type it's a typology it's that we can take and spiritualize a lot of this because it is it's something it was it was something that was given by God he did that for a reason but I've often times wondered about the fact that when we bring ourselves to the house of God when we when we bring our our our tithing to the house of God when we bring those sacrifices to the house of God there is something that transpires inside of our life not only in our life but in our family's life in our children's life those that are around us I've often times watched people as they give I you know I'm a people Watcher I just I like to watch people there used to be a time that we'd go to the mall and i' just sit there and watch the weirdos you know did I say that but but I like to watch people why because there's something to be shown about character in people when when certain things happen and as a pastor I could be standing there knowing what was going on in individual's life and I still walk I watch them as they sacrificially do something there there there's something that's going on there there is something that's happening inside that individual and you know what there's sometimes you can't run out there and just say say God God bless you because there's things that's going on in them and God is is working some things in them and they're starting to work through some things and understand first gifts first first fruits they understand that principle it is a part of who we are supposed to be as a church this is a this is a principle that I I think it's very very vitally important in our day and time that we not lose track that it's not about Figures it's not about it's not about numbers it's not about those things that that we accumulate numbers and make these things look good because when it comes to God there's none of that going to look like a good flowchart Brother Sam none of that's going to look like something that we have put together this is something that that God does and when you can look at it and shake your head and then all of a sudden it's like God don't know I don't know how you did it but you did that's because we have learned to trust him trust is the is the number one key in what we're talking about here is that we trust you God with what we have and what we're giving to you we trust you in what you're going to do with that God help us to understand that I remember a lady one time nobody will figure this out because I it's nobody around here but I remember a lady one time husband had a and I may have told this to some of you but her husband is was very very gifted in his job and he uh traveled all over over around South Africa and places like that and he uh he would follow these oil rigs and he was he was over several oil rigs I mean he was just he was just a u I would consider him very very good guy uh he he knew his work he knew what he was doing and she uh she would bring us and he would get paid X here and X here and and she would bring us lump sums of money and and here we are a church that is struggling and just making sure that we keep the lights on and keep everything going and she would bring us these these lump sums of money and attached to that she understood what the church was going through and she would give us because it was such lump sums and I really feel now I look back at it and I realized that that God was giving us he was giving us notations of of management is she would give us list that you know this is this is what we bring to you and I know the church needs this this this and this I mean we were needing air conditioners talking about we had old old window units in the church and you'd be trying to preach and all of a sudden one of them kicks on you'd have to turn the mic up and you didn't have a sound man you you'd basically have to run over oh let me quit that but but she would she would make list and and after looking through that and I would sit back and look at what God was doing and God was putting all of this in motion for the church he was he was PR preparing a way he was preparing some things for us that we we had no clue of what God was doing had no clue we didn't know how that was going to work and we would scratch our heads about roof and then all of a sudden here she'd come say thank you Lord you see God knows exactly what we need as a church he knows exactly what we need and in spite of what we may think sometimes God has everything planned out there is a plan and a purpose behind everything that he has put there and because of first fruits being being brought the church was being blessed there were other families being blessed their family was being blessed and I'm looking at the tear uh and Pastor Sam you can see that there there is a tear to all of that is who all is being touched by those things yeah it may be your $5 that you sacrifice to put it in there but then it touches hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people talking about first fruits understanding that principle and guess what your allil did not run out last week you still had meal in the barrel last week there was things that God blessed you with that you didn't think would happen things that would happen in your life and you you're you're sitting there at all about no that is the way that God works works that is the that is the formula for first fruits is God I give you this belongs to you don't try to measure things out don't try to measure it out because you cannot measure God I've often times talked about this but inside that Holy Place Pastor there is a in the Ark of the Covenant right there between those angels there is something called The Mercy Seat The Mercy Seat was given it was given its width it was given its height it was given all of the dimensions the length but it never was given a depth in your Bible you will never find a scripture that gives the depth of The Mercy Seat why because his mercy endureth forever God's word work continually Works down deep and over and over and over it never runs out God's bank account never runs out God's blessings never cease why because if you learn the the principle behind first fruits understanding that this was brought and and I'll reiterate this is the law was that you didn't collect anything out of first fruit out of out of any of your crops until first fruits was presented to the priest nothing you don't take it out you don't take anything out of that you give God his first and and everything else is going to be blessed because they understood the principle behind first fruits God help us help us help us to understand first fruits and I I I know I I don't want to I don't want to wear this out and I don't want to I don't want to get too deep into this but there is power in sacrifice folks there is power in sacrifice that giving something valuable that giving something that you know and I I I'm thinking of the lady that that brought the alabaster box she had a value on what she brought everybody around there knew what the value of it was didn't they they knew what the value was and well once it was all over with and it was spilt everywhere his own disciples said well we could have we could have fed people with that we we could have helped people out with that no you you don't get it you you just don't get it even his own disciples didn't get what was happening you see we we've got we've got to understand this this there's things that belongs to God that we've got and until we give that to him we won't see the the blessings of God we won't see him his blessings we see his blessings come after the fact that we've learned the the principle of first fruits God help me help me God to bring that sacrifice that I know that you are worthy of it you you are worthy of that sacrifice and it's not me it's yours God and I bring it to the house of God and I give it to him and the scripture says all of these other things everything else

read that scripture with us again Matthew 633 would you read it but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you you seek Him First let first things first bring first things first first fruits belong to him you give that to God and everything else is going to work its way everything else is going to be okay God help us would you pray with us right now in the name of Jesus God help us Lord to understand understand the principles of first fruits God understand Lord that all these things belong to you initially and all these things you have given us God it still still Belongs to You Lord help us to understand Lord Jesus that there are things that you're working on us and working through us to get done in the kingdom of God help us God help us to be successful in what you have called us to do and what we're doing God is giving you first fruits first in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus would you stand with us together I want us to stand and I want us just to lift our hands to him would you lift your hands to him and say God whatever it is whatever it is God that you help me help me Lord Jesus help me Lord in my own ways God help me Lord in those things that I have set aside for you Lord help me God to work those things towards you Lord Jesus in your kingdom that I seek you first I bring those things to you first all of these other things is going to follow but I know I have to seek you first Lord Jesus Hallelujah in the name of the Lord in the name of the Lord hallelujah hallelujah I Seek You Lord that's it reach out to him right now I that's it Lord I bring it to you I bring these things to you Lord I bring it to you Lord Jesus I bring it to you Lord Jesus Hal hallelujah hallelujah I give it to you Lord oh we love you Jesus seek Him First seek Him First In The Name of Jesus in the name of Jesus your mercy endureth forever Lord I Thank you for it I thank you Lord I Thank You Lord hallelujah hallelujah in the name of Jesus