2024: New Year, New Commitment, New Behaviors (2)
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 24 viewsNotes
Transcript
Before we get into the supernatural series I have one more sermon embracing 2024.
2024 is going to be amazing. I’m believing God for miracles. He’s given me a vision for the building project that I believe we will start campaigning for. He sent me a vision for and some prophesies to back up the 1000 seat auditorium. We brought in an accountant this year to help us get better control of our finances. God has sent Samuel Hodgson in the immediate time to get our sound system under control and to elevate our worship experience. I am praying through bringing in at least 6 prophetic voices to speak into the life of the church over the next year. We are birthing bigger deliverance ministries and I believe God is getting ready to expand our reach. I believe this year we will be bringing on more staff and advancing people into Kingdom positions.
Center for Hope and Healing
God has called this church to be a beacon of Hope. a Symbol of the supernatural. I have been told that there are two giant bowls of oil at the entrance of the church which represent the holy Spirit’s manifest power in this church. I am told that we are going to be a place of freedom. A shelter for addicts who come through these doors and find immediate healing.
But God is challenging even my faith. This is going to take a lot to accomplish, but you have seen a glimpse of what God wants to do in these 5 short months. To believe anything less than the supernatural provision from God would be to significantly under estimate the power of God in this place. And I tell you this not to boast or brag, because I don’t want your praises to be my reward, but I believe in you, I believe in this church and the community, I believe in the power of God so much that I want to take the first step into the sacrificial giving God is calling this church to. God has called my wife and I to increase our giving to 20% and I am asking that all our people pray through what sacrifical giving looks like for you. For some it may be to start giving. For some it may be to give more.
The Last Sunday of this month-January 28th We are going to be doing a special offering called the first fruits offering. Last week I preached the importance of the first fruits and we are going to continue this week into our challenging God for further financial breakthrough. I believe wealth is biblical. I believe God desires to increase the wealth of those who desire to give back into God’s kingdom.
Open the bible to Malachi 3 as we examine the biblical principle of giving. Remember this principles transcend time. We studied this last week.
Malachi 3:6 (ESV)
6 “For I the Lord do not change;
This is the established president. God doesn’t change. God is saying listen: What I am about to tell you isn’t ever going to change.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
His Word stands forever. That’s how you know the truth I am about to explode your brain with is true. In V 10, Im not going to bring it up now I will later God says test me in this. God believes so much in this principle that tithing is the ONLY place God challenges you to test Him.
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
Return to me. This is an interesting way that God opens up this section of scripture. Understand: This is how important a proper view of finances and wealth really are. Return to me. An improper view of your finances can make you wonder away from God. Think about how mind blowing this is.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
How should we return. What God says after this blows my mind. And here is the issue: I want you to forget everything you have ever been taught about this verse because it’s probably wrong. I am not the ultimate supreme ruler of scripture, but I have been taught this verse even in bible college in the wrong context.
How will you return
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Here is the misconception: People believe that you can rob God of money.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
There is nothing material that we can take from God. Here is what we can rob God of:
The ability to bless us
Here is the issue:
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
Every single person who doesn’t make tithing a practice that they are a part of is cursed. Even the world sees this. Every worldly financial guru worth their weight in salt will tell you that that is power in giving money away. I have read numerous wealth development books and even the secular ones state that if you want to amass great wealth you first have to give your money away. Why? Because it changes your view of Money.
Robert Keyouski Author if Rich Dad Pour Dad says that the moment you work for money you have lost the battle of wealth. Why? Because if money is your goal you’ll never have it.
God says you are cursed with a curse. God cannot go against his word so he can’t bless you. But Pastor it seems to be going fine and I haven’t tithed ever.
Matthew 5:45 (ESV)
45 For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
In life bad people can recieve good things. I’m not saying you cannot get a ton of money if you never tithe. The issue is this:
What are we robbing God of?
This is found in V10
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
When you don’t tithe you Rob God of the ability to bless you.
God cannot bless you because you are actively cursing yourself. Here’s the thing though. You can’t out give God. God doesn’t put an amount on this: He is stating this:
To the extent of your giving will be to the extent of my blessing.
However, This is not a dollar for dollar blessing. The richer you are the more you give doesn’t equal the more blessing you receive.
The more you sacrifice the more you are blessed by God
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Jesus is telling the disciples that her giving has brought more blessing upon her than all the weaelthy people that came and gave before her. Why? BEcause she gave out of her need. There is something supernatural that comes from giving out of your need. a sacrifical offering,
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
I get this verse a lot when people talk about the 10% going away. That’s not actually what this verse is talking about. Paul is talking to the Corinthian church about giving and giving in advance so that they are ready when the disciples come to collect the tithes so that the Jewish people who are losing everything may have something when they accept Jesus. What he is telling the church isn’t give whatever you feel like but rather it;s two fold
BE ready with the gift you have purposed in your heart so that you can give what God has asked you to give and you won’t have too little.
Don’t be pressured into giving more than you feel God has put on your heart.
My wife and I feel to give more. I share that with you not to pressure you, but to stand as a showing that we are behind this church 100% and we believe in what God is going to do. Matter of Fact God has given us a word a month ago or so that we planted here. That every other ministry we were there for a season, but now we are planted. We will be here for a long time.
The idea is for us all to examine our heart, but if you give to little you might as well not give because your money will still be cursed you’ll just be out the $20 bucks. Give you give with a grumbling heart you might as well not give because your money will still be cursed and you’ll be out of the money you gave. Paul here is saying give what you choose to give whether it’s 10,20,30%, do it with a cheerful heart and God will make sure you never lack.
That’s the promise. If you give what God puts on your heart to give you will never lack what you need. He will supply so you abound in every good work. That’s the amazing promise of God.
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
I believe God is calling his people to a place of sacrificial giving and he is stating that if you do he will pour out his blessing on you. That you will see the supernatural pulsate through your being when you live a life of giving.