Firstfruits From the Earth (Sermon)

You can also listen to this sermon. Click the orange play button below.

COJCOM · 7-20-2024 ─ Firstfruits From The Earth (Audio Sermon)

Greetings everyone, this is Leonard V Johnson with the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries here in Spring Hill, FL and it's July the 20th, 2024. It's an absolute beautiful holy Sabbath day outside. It's still dark, but if you walk outside, you can look up in the night sky and see the beautiful planet Venus, absolutely gorgeous with stars all around. And we want to thank our brethren and friends that are in Slovakia, there in Belgium. We've got brethren and friends in Belgium, in Ireland, Cloney, Ireland, oh, let's see, Los Angeles, CA Welcome, Thank you very much. Birmingham, AL, Madisonville, KY, Tampa, FL, Montreal, Canada and Forest City, NC. Thank you brethren and friends.

Thank you for being with us today. The what I would like to talk about today. I decided to do an audio sermon with you today. The first Fruits from the Earth is the title of this sermon. Let's go ahead and start in our Bibles today in the book of Exodus in the in the Old Testament. So it's Exodus chapter 3, verse 18. Then they will heed your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, the Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us. And now please let us go three days journey. And that's the crux of this sermon.

Today, brethren and friends, let us go three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Let's also go to chapter 5 here, over here to chapter five of the book of Exodus. And let's go here to verse three. So they say, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. So this message was so important that they came to realize that if we don't go out of Egypt three days' journey into the wilderness. God is going to send a pestilence upon us. Recall what we just read.

Let us go three days journey into the desert, sacrifice to the Lord God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. Now where were they going now in Exodus? Let's turn the page here a moment. Exodus chapter 8. Let's go here to verse 27. Here's another reference to what we're speaking about today. We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us. Now to me this is highly interesting. Now during the Passover season, the Israelites wanted to go three days' journey into the wilderness to do a sacrifice. Are there any other three days that come to mind?

You know, throughout Scripture there is nowhere mentioned where they're where they sacrificed unto the Lord our God after a three days' journey in the book of Numbers chapter 33, and we don't have to turn there, but it records the journey of the children of Israel. Then the children of Israel moved from Rameses and camped at Succoth. Now that's one day they departed from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. That's at least two days. They could have camped at each one of these for longer than one night, but God's living word, it doesn't mention that.

It says they moved from Etham and turned back to, how do you pronounce this, Pi Hahiroth, which is east of Baal Zephon, and they camped near Migdol. So it's at least three days. But the Lord God said that they were supposed to leave the land of Egypt and go three days. And it took them three days just to get to the border of Egypt. So they passed through the, the, the, the mist of the sea, in other words the Red Sea into the wilderness. And then they went three days journey in the wilderness of Etham, encamped it Marah. So let's go to that scene right here mentioned and it's in Exodus chapter 15. Let's go over here to chapter 15 and let's see this.

What is the first place they came to in which they have a problem? Well, it's Marah, so let's go here, Exodus 15. Let's go here to verse 22. It says Moses, excuse me, brought Israel from the Red Sea. Then they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness, and they found no water. Let's go here to verse 24. And the people complained against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, a tree. So if you can see in this action right here any symbolic practice for those Israelites, this is the first time they have ever seen freedom.

This is the first time that the water has ever run out. What is the first thing showed to them? Notice this? So he cried out to the Lord, this verse 25 here. And the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. In other words, it was made good to drink. The word Lord here is Yahweh Rafika, the Lord who heals you. There is so much significance to what happened to them there at the waters in Marah. It was a foreshadowing of something to come in Israel's future, and I can imagine, although it does not say, that Moses made a sacrifice there at Marah unto the Lord our God.

Now, brethren and friends, during the Days of Unleavened Bread, there is always, as it was even this year, a Sabbath day. Here is what the children of Israel were to do during the week of the Days of Unleavened Bread. Notice this. Let's go here to the Book of Leviticus, and it's going to be Leviticus chapter 23, chapter 23, and let's go to verse 9. Here the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land which I give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf, the first fruits of your harvest, to the priest.

What was this to symbolize? What's the meaning? What's the meaning? Let's go here to verse 11. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf on the day after the Sabbath. The priest shall wave it. So he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord on the day after the Sabbath. So which day was the Lamb offered? Obviously after the first Sabbath day during the Days of Unleavened Bread. And you shall offer on that day when you wave the sheaf.

When you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord, verse 13, its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and its drink offering shall be of wine. There is no accident of these symbols, brethren and friends, that it was pointing to something for them for the future. Let's go here to verse 15, and you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count 50 days to the day after the 7th Sabbath.

So the day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is not sunrise service! The day has actually been hidden to the most most of the Protestants of what the true meaning of the day after the Sabbath actually means. They believe, and they continue to teach that the day after the Sabbath, Jesus was resurrected! Let's go here back to the Book of Exodus this time let's go here to chapter 13 and let's go to verse 1. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, consecrate to me all the first born. Whatever opened the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast, because it's mine. The first born of both man and beast are to be set apart for the service of God.

Let's go here to Exodus chapter 22. Let's go here to verse 29. You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices, the first born of your sons. You shall give to me the firstlings, the first of the crops, the first born of your children, the first born of the animals. And again, Exodus chapter 23, verse 16, the first fruits of your laborers.

Now in the New Testament, go over here in the New Testament, there is a great deal of the fulfillment of these symbols from ancient Israel, the days, the weeks, the months which follow from the exodus of Egypt, well based, the exodus of sin. First Corinthians Chapter 11, the apostle Paul said in the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ took bread. So we know that it wasn't the night in which he was sacrificed, but it was the night before. And we read these scriptures on the Passover, and that was on a Tuesday night. And it was on a Tuesday night back in the year 2020 also when Judah Iscariot betrayed him. We know that all that night he was scourged, taken to the House of Caiaphas, the high priest.

And then on Wednesday morning, and it says right here in God's living word, when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people had a council meeting and he would later go to go before Pilate. And Pilate was a coward which sent our Lord Jesus before Herod Antipas, and he would eventually come back to Herod. They released Barabbas, you know, which of the two do you want me to release to you was the question. And Pilate washed his hands in a public ceremony and said, well, ha, I'm completely innocent of the blood of this just person.

Now the apostle Mark tells us that about the third hour, which was, well, about 9:00 in the morning, they went out and they sacrificed our Lord Jesus. And about the 6th hour there was darkness over the whole land until about the 9th hour, which was about 3:00 in the afternoon. And we know that that was exactly the time when the high priest would slit the paschal lamb and spill its blood, exactly the time when the Roman soldier jammed that spear into the side of our Lord and Saviour. And he said, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit, so He died. And that Centurion soldier standing right there said, we have it again. We have it for us right in God's living word.

This Centurion soldier saying, truly, this Man was the Son of God. Brothers and sisters, that was a Wednesday. Now that evening before the sun went down, the account in the Book of John tells us that it was a preparation day. You remember Joseph of Arimathea was in a hurry to get the body down before the Sabbath day. Most people believed that that was the weekly Sabbath, but John's recording it here, the only apostle, the one that Jesus loved. Now he said in John chapter 19 verse 31, let's go there a moment, John chapter 19, verse 31 for that Sabbath was a high day.

Most people don't understand what that means, but we do. We keep the preparation day before the first Day of Unleavened Bread, the high day, the holy convocation. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on a Wednesday afternoon, probably right at around 3:00. Now, by sunset on Wednesday, He was already in His tomb. Thursday was a high day, the first Day of Unleavened Bread, and there was no work to be done, no work permitted. He was one day in that tomb on that Thursday. Then Friday comes another preparation day, the preparation for the weekly Sabbath.

And the women who had come with Him from Galilee, recall, returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. So here it was. He was two days in the tomb on that Friday. Then the Sabbath comes Saturday. And it says they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment, the weekly Sabbath. And again, there was no work permitted, no work to be done. He was three days in that tomb on that Saturday. So by 3:00 Saturday afternoon, 72 hours would have been completed as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says to us.

Recall, He says there is no sign that will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Because as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in His tomb in the heart of the earth. So sometime after 3:00 Saturday afternoon, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ stood up and He walked right through that solid rock and He came out the tomb. Now here we have Sunday morning coming around. Let's turn to Mark chapter 16. Let's go here to Mark chapter 16.

There's a tremendous amount of confusion concerning this passage. We're going to go to Mark chapter 16, and it's going to be in verse 9. There's a tremendous amount of confusion concerning this very verse. This passage says very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. Now there will be people who go out and of course they have a Sunday morning sunrise service and they believe that's when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was resurrected. Verse nine. Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, well, they say there it is. Isn't this what this passage says?

Brethren and friends, let's, let's, let's take a time out here and let's look at the collective evidence of all the gospel accounts. What? Look at verse 2. Look at verse two. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. Verse 3 And they said amongst themselves, who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us now at the rising of the sun. When you go back and you read, oh, the apostle Matthews account, he says as the first day of the week began to dawn.

And in apostle John's account, he says while it was still dark, so we're talking about just before sunrise. And when they got there, the tomb was already empty. He was already gone because He had already been resurrected. So this was before the dawn. The stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty because He had already risen on that Sabbath afternoon, that Saturday afternoon after 3:00 PM, when the, the, the, the, the, the 72 hours were complete. Now, here's something I want you to focus on. Let's go here to the Book of John chapter 20. Let's go here to the book of John chapter 20. Let's go here to verse 16.

Now this was this. This was our Lord and Savior Jesus's appearance after He had risen. Let's go here to verse 11. But Mary, Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and she looked into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? And she said to them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. Verse 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and she saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't recognize Him.

So look what we have learned. I believe that the Bible, God's living word, living. I say living because it is alive. God's living word is sharper than any two edged sword and it goes all the way to the bone, to the sinew. The tissue goes straight through you. Now that's metaphorically speaking, because God's living word is powerful and it's alive. And yes, to your enemies, you can use it as a tool of defense. Absolutely. Look at what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did to our, our mortal and spiritual enemy, Satan the devil.

He used his own living words as a weapon, as a tool. So what have we learned? I, you know, I believe God's living word supports this belief, yet it's a it's not important for salvation. Of course, that our Lord Jesus has, and He had then, the ability to shape shift. Oh yes, yes. Now, I personally have seen a shapeshifter and I saw this woman while I was traveling through Shreveport, LA, and it was back in 2007. I had stopped along Interstate 20 there. Now, I had stopped originally for a hitchhiker.

I'd seen her on the side of the road driving on Interstate 20. When I drove over the road, I drove a tractor trailer, as you might, you might have heard me say over the years. And I drove a tractor trailer from Florida to California for some 20 years until I I had forced retirement because of medical issues. But I was driving along Interstate 20 and I, I saw a hitchhiker. Now this hitchhiker, she was dressed like a young cheerleader. Don't judge me, please don't judge me. This was a long time ago. This was long before I, I was converted. This was long before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ called me out of this world.

He says come out of her, My people, separate yourself from them. So this was this was a long time ago. This was back in 2007. But I, I saw her on the side of the road. She was, she was dressed like a, a young cheerleader and she was carrying a, a, a black duffel bag. When she had climbed up into the cab, though, because I, I went down to the next exit, I turned around, went over the, the, the, the overpass was coming back the other direction. And I, I heard other people on the CB, other men on the CB yelling and screaming and mentioning her and getting all excited. And I turned around, got back up on the Interstate again after turning around, came up to where she was supposed to be. And I saw this woman there. And it was a young cheerleader carrying a duffel bag.

And but when she climbed up into the cab of the truck, she was an old Cajun witch, and she didn't have a duffel bag, you know, interesting. I had seen, I had been witness to, and I know this in my heart, a shapeshifter. Now you can believe me or you don't have to believe me. It doesn't matter. It's as I said earlier, it's not important for salvation. I do not lie. God tells us not to lie. He commands us not to lie. So it's not a lie and it's not, it wasn't just my imagination. I knew what I experienced and I know what I saw.

But anyway, let's go here to verse 15 of of this chapter, John chapter 20. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? Who is it that you're seeking? And she's supposing Him to to be the gardener said to Him, Sir, if you've carried Him away, tell me where you've laid Him and I will go and take Him away. Well, Jesus said to her, He He, he just said one word, just one word. He said her name Mary. Instantly she recognized Him. She heard His voice and said, Lord. She turned and said to him, Rabbani, which means teacher. And Jesus said to her, Don't cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father, and to your Father, and to My God and to your God.

Now what is so interesting here is that He did not allow her, even though she was a very close friend, He did not allow her to touch Him. Now later on in the the, the so-called Gospel accounts, we see where there are several accounts in which He allowed them to touch Him. You remember Thomas, Thomas, He said to him, reach your finger in here and look at My hands and reach your hand in here and put it in My side. So some time after this, three days and three nights before He met with his disciples and He allowed them to touch Him.

Something marvelous happened. And I believe that the first fruits of God were presented before God the Father. Now over in the book of Acts. Let's turn there a moment. The Book of Acts chapter 26 and we go to verse 22 says, Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand witnessing both to the small and to the great saying to no other thing than those which the prophets in Moses said would come, that the Christ would have suffered and that He would be the first to rise from the dead. Now, of course, we're Speaking of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Friends, all of those ancient prophets, the men of God, they're still in their graves, they're still dead, but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the first one. He's the first fruits of many brethren. Let's go to Romans. Go here to Romans chapter 8. Let's go here to verse 29. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined. He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren. Of course we can go to 1st Corinthians chapter 15 here verse 20.

Now Jesus is risen from the dead, has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, fallen asleep in Christ. Now thinking of a dear friend of mine, brother of mine that died not too long ago, a couple of years ago. Now let's continue here in verse 21. For since by man came death, by Man our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, Even so in Christ all shall be made alive. And here's the kicker, verse 23.

Each one in his own order, Christ, the first fruits, and then afterward those who are Christ's, those who belong to our Savior at His coming. Let's go on down to verses 51 and 52. He says, behold, I tell you a mystery, brethren and friends, why is this a mystery? It's a mystery because the majority of people on this planet are in the dark. They're in darkness. They're not being taught properly what this mystery is. Here's a mystery that the apostle Paul comes right out and tells us, says I. I'm going to tell you a mystery, he says. We shall not all sleep.

In other words, we will not all remain in our graves, but we shall all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, which means at a split second, at the last trump, which means the seventh trump. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This glorious first fruits of many brethren was presented to God the Father as the first fruits from the dead.

And the closest description within God's living word of this, that of this happening is back in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, the Book of Daniel Chapter 7, you know Daniel saw a great vision. He saw a vision of many, of not many, of four beasts which represented four world ruling empires. Now from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar, the second, down to the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Daniel saw in vision a menagerie of wars and of conquering and of bloodshed and of deceit and of deception, which has been happening, which has been happening over the history of mankind, hasn't it?

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Book of Matthew chapter 24 says you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don't fret, don't be worried, because these things must happen. But the end is not yet. The end of the age is not yet. Wars will come and wars will go, but then He gets to Kingdom against Kingdom and nation and against nation. In other words, these wars get worse and worse until finally we get into world wars and we've had two world wars already, you know, in in most of our lifetimes.

Those that are listening to us here, let's go here to verse 9 of Daniel Chapter 7. I watched till thrones were put in place. Now what we're speaking of here is this is this is a vision that he was having and I don't believe that it actually has happened yet. I don't believe this happens until just before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes back. Says I watched till thrones were put in place and the Ancient of Days was seated, which means God the Father. His garment was white as snow, the hair of His head were was like pure wool, and His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. A fiery stream issued came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him.

Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated and the books were opened. Brothers and sisters, what books were opened? Well, the very book that we're reading from my friends, God's living word, the Holy Bible. Let's go here to verse 13 says I saw watching in the night visions. Behold, let me take a drink of coffee here a moment. Behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven, and He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion, glory, and a Kingdom, the Kingdom of God!

Brothers and sisters, this was, this is what our message is every single day of our life. We teach the Kingdom of God, the soon coming Kingdom of God, that all peoples and nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall never be destroyed. So we believe that that the key whole glimpse of that glorious moment when Jesus Christ, the first fruits from the earth, was presented before God the Father.

God the Father set Him down at His right hand and gave Him all of this dominion and this glory and this power and this strength and this might which He is going to exorcise once His enemies are fully destroyed. So in conclusion, in conclusion, let's go here to the Book of Revelation. Go back here to the Book of Revelation. Let's go to Revelation Chapter 5 and verse 5 says one of the elders said to me, do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seals. I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, the four living beings, we are talking about archangels.

Here in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. Go here to verse 7. Then He came and He took the scroll out of His right hand of Him, meaning God the Father who sat on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living beings and the 24 elders, these 24 elders, brothers and sisters. I've spoken of this before. Now there are many that believe that they are angels. I don't necessarily believe that. I believe that they are. Now, I also believe that this has not quite happened yet. This is not going to happen until just before the Millennium, the thousand year rule of our Lord and Savior.

But I also believe that these 24 elders will be resurrected saints, 24 of them, and each of each one of them represent the Church, and they are priests unto the Church. This is this is my belief now. This is what God's Holy Spirit is teaching me. Excuse me. Well, each of these 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, golden bowls full of incense. And these are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, You are worthy to take the scroll, in other words, a book of end time events, and to open its seals.

For You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your very own blood, out of every tribe and of out of every language of people and nation. Verse 10 And this is most significant, most wonderful. And He, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He will make us brethren a Kingdom and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth, on the earth. Let's go to verse 11.

And I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living beings, the elders, and the number of them was Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands more than he could ever count in a lifetime. Billions upon billions saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honor and glory and blessing. Amen. And I added that, Amen, because indeed it is, Amen.

Every being that that's in heaven, that's in the atmosphere, that's on the earth, that's under the earth, meaning even in their own graves and those that are in the sea and all that are in them, said blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. And the four living beings said Amen. The 24 elders fell down and worshipped Him who lives forever and ever. Brothers and friends, brothers and friends, brethren and friends, I I don't believe this has quite happened yet, but it is coming soon, just before the millennial reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us not, let us not friends, just simply go through the motions of the Passover and and even of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because this is the very ceremony which is most important every year of our life.

Let's acknowledge the significance of these ceremonies each year and the greatness that it represents, the very moment in which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be presented before God the Father. He had accomplished all that was commanded of Him, overcoming the current world ruler, Satan the Devil. Having delivered the entire gospel from our Father, that heaven, the very throne of God, including God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and the host of angelic beings, will soon come to the earth. We have the opportunity to be resurrected as full-fledged Spirit beings and members of the glorious family of God. I thank you for listening today. I love you and I pray for all of you every single day.

And I hope and pray that you are also praying for us here at the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries here in Spring Hill, FL. So thank you for listening. And until next time, goodbye my friends.

Transcribed by https://speechnotes.co