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Firstfruits

Firstfruits

Words of Faith 8-2-17

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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1 Corinthians 15

   [20] But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. [24] Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. [27] For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. [28] When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

 

         So what is this resurrection all about for us? How are we connected? Paul suddenly moved away from the speculative tone a Rabbi and shifted to the declaration of an Evangel. "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" Halleluiah! And how does that fit with the conclusion of God's plan? How does that connect to us? He is the firstfruits of the dead who are to be raised.

         Paul used a wonderful Old Testament word-- firstfruits. The firstfruits were the choice examples of a crop harvested first and dedicated to God. Individual Israelites brought to the house of the Lord "the first" or "best" of the fruits of the land. This was not same as a tithe, but rather was the very first of the harvest offered in faithful trust that the harvest would be plentiful.

         The book of Proverbs declares that such a faithful offering will bring prosperity-- a plentiful harvest with great abundance. "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine" (3:9-10).

       The Risen Christ was the firstfuits of the great and abundant harvest to come. God made an offering of the first and best in Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus was a preliminary installment of what will be both an example and a guarantee of more to come.

         We have to remember that death came to all those related to Adam by natural birth because of the disobedience of one man. As the father of mankind Adam in his sin brought death to everybody. But because of the obedience of another Man resurrection will come to all those related to Him by spiritual birth. Those who are a part of the body of Christ will one day follow the lead of their Head but will not do so immediately.

         There will be a sequence in the unfolding of the final events. Paul was not concerned to detail all future resurrections since he was addressing the church and was primarily interested here in fixing their place in the scheme of things. As he had earlier affirmed, Christ was their sample and surety.

         Christ will return as He promised for those who compose the church and the dead in Christ will be raised. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thes. 4:16). We do not know when this will occur.

         Following the resurrection of the church, another period intervenes until the end when Christ will deliver His kingdom to God the Father. Death, as a personification of Christ's ultimate opponent, will be nullified. The destroyer of bodies, death itself, will be destroyed.

       It is by the power of God that the incarnate Christ victoriously mediates His authority. This work of the Son will find ultimate completion in the glory of the Father. That too is the ultimate goal of the church. When God is all in all, the new creation will be consummated and the resurrected Christ and His church will share in that experience.

         How does this affect you and me? It gives us a picture of the victory that has been won and the victory that is to come. It gives us a hope for the future but also a perspective on the present. When we find ourselves worried over temporal things, we can know that this is not our final destination. When we find ourselves struggling here, we can know that this is not our destiny. We will be part of a great moment of harvest. It is the best news in all of creation history. It is our life message to share. It is our prayer that the barns may be filled to overflowing, and vats brimming over with new wine in that great harvest.

 

       Father God, I rejoice in the Good News of Resurrection! I rejoice in know that Jesus was the firstfruits of a great harvest. May I live my life in a way that declares the hope and truth of resurrection. In Jesus' Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2007, 2017

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.