The Path to Prosperity Part 1

This opportunity to gather together in your house today and to worship together. And Lord, we thank you for being with Marv and bringing him through his. Second surgery in a couple weeks and Lord, we pray that you'll be with him. Bring him the healing he needs and Lord help his pain not to return and Lord. I pray that you will be with Tom feasel as well as he recovers from his surgery Florida be with Sue and the rest of the family or bring them peace and comfort during this time and Florida we pray for all the others on her. Prayer list and others who aren't listed that are on our hearts and Minds, Florida. We pray that you would just work in their lives Lord that you would bring the healing you'd bring the piece the comfort that they all need. And Lord, I pray that as we hear from your words day that you will just help us all to listen with Open Hearts and open minds and to learn what it is you have us here for today. And your name we pray. Amen.

So we've been talking about how Paul you know has been encouraging the Corinthians 2. Be generous and we'll see here as we start into this section now and 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 that you know, generosity is encouraged again that that's what Paul continues to talk about. You know, he had been talking about the giving of the Macedonian Church and how graciously they gave considering the fact that they were in reality a very poor church, but yet they gave at a sacrificial level to help other believers. So as we continue on and 2nd Corinthians chapter 9, we're going to take a look at that and basically we're going to jump into kind of A 5 full description that Paul gives of why we want to be generous. And will cover the first two today and will cover the other three next week. 2nd Corinthians 9:6 says remember this whoever sews sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever so generously will also reap generously. You know, the point of that verse is pretty clear, you know, the more one gives the more God gives back in return. Your Paul is expressing this using some. farming imagery because most obviously that's what a lot of the people in his audience probably did as an occupation in one way or another that was related closely to their lifestyle. So they understood it. And he knew that every farmer recognizes that you know, the size of the Harvest is directly proportionate to the quantity and the quality of the seed that you plan it. If you plan a little bit of bad seed you're not going to get much out of it. But if you plant a lot of good seed good things will come from that and that is what he's talking about that, you know, not just this real-life agricultural Harvest, but it what he's trying to encourage. The people is that it works the same way in the spiritual realm the principal of it. Does that you know, God will bless those who are generous towards others. You're generous givers reap generous blessings from God. It's the whole idea. While those who selfishly hold back what they've been blessed with. Are really forfeiting any chance that they have really receiving God's blessing. And you know Paul is trying to motivate the Corinthians. You know, who the Corinthians were given to by the Macedonian Church. So now he is encouraging the Corinthians to show that same generosity towards the Jerusalem Church to help them. you know the Macedonian set the example and now he's talked about the potential benefits and he wants to show them of what they can expect if they try to model this same level of generosity because you know, the real purpose of God's generous Reverb awarding Believers becomes evident as Paul continues through this passage. So the first one we're going to look at the first thing that should motivate us. to be gracious givers Is Love from God In 2nd Corinthians, 9:7 Paul wrote each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful Giver.

It's hard to imagine, you know, what could be more. Valuable to us what could be seen as more precious to us than the promise of? gods personal affection for us being the object of God's love God loving us, you know. You think of all the Acclaim all the honor all the recognition that you might get from different charities for donating to them. None of that means anything compared to God loving you and we here right here in this passage that God loves a cheerful Giver.

And you know what we have to remember is that cheerful giving comes from inside the heart. You know, you aren't a cheerful Giver just because well your pastor told you to be a cheerful Giver, so I'm going to be a cheerful Giver. That's not how it works. I wish you did sometimes but that's not how it works. You know, it begins by as Paul says in this first what you have already determined in your own heart. Yeah, you have to make the choice to be a cheerful giver and then as you make that choice to be a cheerful Giver.

You want to give it's not that you're giving out of some sense of obligation or Duty you're giving because you want to share the blessings that have been shared with you. It's a voluntary thing.

But you know, even though it's a voluntary thing that's not forced or coerced in any way. It's not supposed to be something that's careless and casual either. We're supposed to think about what we give. we're supposed to think about how we share those blessings, even though there's a spontaneous joy and giving you know, it is still intended for it to be planned and systematic not impulsive or sporadic God is asking us to have a regular habit. of being giving

And you know depending which translation you read through, you know, some of them use the word they're not to be done grudgingly. You know, which made me think what does the word grudgingly really mean? Grudgingly means to do so with sorrow grief or pain.

Now sometimes you know when you're paying bills that's kind of how it's done. Right but you're giving towards the church should not have that same feeling. It should not make you feel the same way as it does when you're going through your bills every month. Giving is not to be done with this attitude of remorse or regret or reluctance or morning over what you're giving up. What is to be done with joy and blessing knowing? That God has blessed you and he's giving you the ability to share that blessing with others.

And that's what God is talking about when he talks about a joyful Giver. It's the one who truly sees it as a privilege to give and their reward is something much greater than the recognition of man. It is God's love.

Number two is generosity from God. 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verses 8 through 11 citizen God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work. As it is written. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor their righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also Supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the Harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and threw us your generosity will result in Thanksgiving to God.

You know, why what is possible to give without loving it is not possible to love without giving in one way or another.

You know God gives the free gift of his son to all believers, but He blesses cheerful givers in a unique way. The unique way that God blesses them is that we have to understand that God's graciousness back towards us has no limits. It's off the scale. We can't meet or exceed God's ability to be more gracious to us.

But we struggle. Since giving naturally seems to result in us having less not more. It takes Faith to believe that giving will open up God's blessing.

Yeah, that's the concept I've talked about with people a lot of time. So, you know, you won't miss what you give to the church.

Your Christians must believe that what God has promised to do he is able to do. And the past years we've been going through God continually talks about the fact that he will bless those who are generous towards others.

you know, so pause expressing here his concern for the Corinthians that not only should they follow the model of what they saw the Macedonian Church do to help them. But they can't allow their faith to rest on the wisdom of men which would tell them. The only way you're going to accumulate wealth is to just poured what you got and keep it for yourself hold onto it tightly Paul's telling them that is not the path to Prosperity the path to prosperity. Lies in the power of God to do what he says he's going to do. You know, it's not the first time that he's encouraged the Corinthians. If you actually go back to 1st Corinthians 2:5, you know, Paul said so that your faith might not rest on Houston human wisdom, but on God's power. Like I said, that was a timer lieur when Paul was trying to convince them that you know Hughes the human wisdom teaches that Prosperity comes from grasping on to that wealth holding on to it as tight as you can not giving any of it away.

That's where faith comes into play. You must fully trust God's promises that God's promise to bless the giver and if you really have faith in God then you believe that. You trust that if God's word says God will bless you bless the happy Giver. He's going to scripture reminds us of this over and over again that God has the power to do the things that he promises. Do you know one of my favorite verses about it is Ephesians 3:20 gets used as a benediction. A lot of times says now to him who is able to do a measurably more than all we ask her match and according to his power. That is at work within us.

The other thing is so often.

I believe our faith is too small. We think too small.

And we think well, you know, I'm only going to give this much because that's probably all that. God can do to bless me back. But that's not the way God's economy works.

You know just this last week and I was talking to Scott and Connie about this before the service. You know, we had poured the concrete Outback of Life lies and you know, the landlord donated a portion of it, but there still was a hefty bill for the rest of it. And praying for a way to pay for that and how are we going to get that paid for and I get a call from somebody who used to be a part of Adams County Habitat for Humanity and said they want to meet with me Friday and look at it and he came and looked at the concrete and the funny thing was he was actually in a Bible study with a whole bunch of people in our community who are financial advisors, and they all asked if they could come down and look at it at the LifeWise building so they did and they looked at it and he then handed me a check for $5,000 to pay for the concrete. And just a way of there. We had a need we had a concern houses going to do. And God already had it taken care of. You know, the sort of faith is also described in Romans 4:21 where it says being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised. You know, it's obvious that God wants this whole LifeWise program to happen in our community. We just have to believe that enough. and Trust enough because the truth is when we have that sort of trust in God and that Faith your God give so freely and abundantly that he does it in such a manner that his children always have all the resources that they need. for everything

You know and a lot of times our mind immediately goes to just material resources. And that is a lot of what Paul's talking about here. But the Harvest can be so much more. I never really thought of it this way but one commentator put it that you know, the Harvest has to be the same as the seat.

Which makes sense right from a farming analogy. You're not going to plant grass seed and see a bunch of corn pop up in your yard, you know, maybe but you probably didn't plant the right seat then right, but what he saying is he know what you're going to reap a harvest of what you plant. And we have to realize that. So, you know, if as a Believer, you might be sharing some of your material wealth with others. You can probably expect to reap a harvest in that same area. Maybe you're just sharing your time. You can probably expect to reap a harvest where God will bless your time later and help you to get things done quicker than what you thought because well you willingly gave of your time. Or maybe it's just giving compassion and mercy towards others. You can reap a harvest of those same things back it ties into the seed that you plant and God so graciously replenishes, whatever believe give so that they can continue to give it. You know God doesn't bless us so that we can just hoard more and more for ourselves. God blesses us so we can continue to be gracious and are giving towards others that we can continue to express not just our generosity but the generosity of our heavenly father to others. You know Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 4:19, and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Like I said, we have to realize God doesn't bless us. Like some Prosperity Gospel teachers will tell us he knows so that we can drive bigger cars have bigger houses and say God gave all this to me. Not what he doesn't God supplies for our needs so that we can have an abundance to be able to do every good deed that comes our way for others. You know, the Lord will fully Supply cheerful givers with whatever they need to use to do the good work that God intends for them to work that they can do that honors god with their life. He constantly replenishes those resources that they willingly share so that that cycle of giving and sharing can continue to grow it can become an ever-widening Circle.

And you know is Paul is sharing this he didn't want the Corinthians to think that you know, he was coming up with some new radical social welfare plans. So he cites some Old Testament scripture to help them know that know, this is been God's plan all along.

psalm 112 verse 9 says they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor their righteousness endures forever. Their horn will be lifted high and honor. You know the gracious Giver who liberally scatters abroad and gives to those in need around him his righteousness and doors forever. Just another reminder that God will replenish and reward him both. in time and an eternity for that graciousness If you look in Deuteronomy chapter, 15 verses 10 and 11 it also illustrates this point. In verse 10 God declared through Moses give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and everything you put your hand to. You know, he's showing us once again that those who are generous to those in need. God will bless them with material blessings, but he will bless them with so much more because God's intention isn't simply so that we would be rich by human standards. No verse 11 reveals the purpose of God's blessing in Deuteronomy chapter 15 verse 11 says there will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. God's grace allow them to continually meet the needs of others.

Yelp all reinforced this point with Yetta third Old Testament quote from Isaiah 55:10.

Where it says as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the Earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread. for the eater

Yeah, that one's a little harder to understand but I think if you think about it for a moment, it's actually quite a good illustration.

You know the first point that it's trying to make is that generous giving isn't going to impoverish anybody.

If you are giving for the right reasons God is going to continually resupply your resources that you can continue to give.

you know, I hadn't thought of it that way the way that it's worded here that you know God's able to give because

he's the one who made the seed for the sower, right? He blesses the sower giving him the seed and that allows him to so who then he can Harvest but that that Harvest that provides the bread for the guy who needed to eat it

It all is this cycle of giving and blessing others that begins with God the one who supplies the resources in the first place.

But you know, we have to see that and to realize that.

The whole reason that it's in that cycle. Of your God provides the seed the sower sews it that gets harvested it gets made into bread by the Baker and this continuing cycle. Cuz we all and specially in a rural community. Like we are we know that's how it works, right? Army doesn't magically appear at Walmart like some other people might think it does or you know, all those vegetables aren't magically there by some. It's all done with purpose and a cycle. Yes, certain grains and seeds are eating others are kept to be planted and it's all this cycle. But it all is a part of God's plan. Everyone has their role that they play. And we have to see how all of us being generous in different ways with different resources that God has blessed us with allows this cycle to keep going. But not if we're not intentional about it not if we don't play the role that God has given us. because the ultimate Harvest of generous giving is not only the Eternal reward, but it's the temporal blessing in those life who do it for the right reasons.

And to me the temporal blessing isn't just what God blesses you back within the form of material things, but the blessing me get on this side is the joy that can come from that of knowing. That we've helped others that we've been a part of God's plan and how he's going to supply these things. And as we continue to dig into this path of prosperity, I hope we all see that God's blessed us all in different ways with different resources different talents different gifts and all those things. Can be a part of reaping that Eternal Harvest. Please pray with me. Heavenly Father we thank you for the blessings. You give Lord we pray that you will continue to be with us and guide us Lord and just help us. To see the opportunities that you put in front of a sword to be generous with the resources you've blessed us with.

Barbie thank you for how you provide for our every need and Lord. We pray that we would have that same Grace towards others that you have towards us. We pray this all in your most. Holy name. Amen.

You will stand as we sing together overcome.

Going in the Father's Love.

Christian tunes on Route 4

God's only son

Sanford and Son

evereve

Where are they?

Where do you live?

awesome man power

Brittany Daniel

Where do you live?

Far benediction this week. I leave you with that verse from Philippians and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. No matter what your problem no matter what your need you need to know that that is where it all comes from. So I pray we can all keep that in mind this next week go and have a blessed week. Amen.