Prosperity

Intro

I am talking to Christians today. Promises and blessings of God are for those who belong to Him. If you do not have a living relationship with Jesus and are here today visiting or just seeking some answers I hope that you feel comfortable and welcomed. But today’s message is for those who have given their lives up in order to follow Jesus.

To many Christians the word prosperity is a dirty word. They equate it with selfishness and greed and a love of money, which the Bible tells us the root of all kinds of evil. It also has a negative stigma to it because there has been such abuse and twisting of Biblical truths in the past by well-meaning preachers. They present truths and promises in the Word and then encourage people to almost twist the arm of God into getting riches, as if He is unwilling to bless and fulfill His Word(while they themselves profit greatly. The greatest example of our times is of course the PTL scandal with Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. While they prospered financially, their lives became riddled with sin). So what is the truth? Does God want us to prosper or not? Does being poor mean we are more holy? After all the Jesus tells us that it is easier for a rich man to get into Heaven, than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

***Prayer

The trouble with riches…

A. People tend to start trusting in them.

Those who have no money are almost forced to rely upon the provision of the Lord in their lives.

Those who have a degree of wealth tend to start using terms like “financial security” and “financial peace of mind.” While there is certainly a need for wisdom and good stewardship, it can easily be confused with security. Even in the story of the talents those who were good stewards still were required to give up everything that had been given to them, and in so doing received even more.

B. The more people have the less they tend to give.

It is a proven fact that those who have money tend to hold on to it more tightly than those who don’t have anything. You often hear people say things like…if I made more I would definitely give more. Some of the most generous people I know have hardly any income yet they give generously way beyond their tithe.

C. Tend to focus on the things of this world rather than the Kingdom of God

Those who have money tend to focus on things that directly relate to their money. They can be more concerned with the joneses going up and down than whether or not the Kingdom of God is advancing. This was the problem with the rich young ruler.

Matt 6:21 (NKJV) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You may have wealth, but that doesn’t have to mean that it is your treasure. Your treasure could be your relationship with Jesus as it should be and you could still have wealth. I am just saying that the common thing is for wealth to be considered the main treasure.

Why don’t I have more…

Frankly the reason that more people don’t have more riches is because not only do you not do the right thing and trust in God with what you have, but you couldn’t handle the responsibility of more and it would likely be a snare for you to draw you away from the Lord.

Lk. 12:48 “…To whom much is given, much is required…” We look at Bill Gates and we imagine… Fact is, he only has a few more years to enjoy. Then he will stand before a Holy God and have to answer for what he did with those riches that he borrowed from the Lord. You see all gold, silver all riches belong to the Lord.

How do we prosper the right way?

So enough of what we shouldn’t do…let’s look at what we should and what God’s view of these things is.

I. Obedience

Malachi 3:6-11

As a Church…

We need to either remember or be re-taught about the priority of giving.

Tithing in this church is way off. We are struggling to maintain ministries let alone have room for growth.

What is the tithe?

It is 10% of your gross income that is to go to your local church where you are involved in ministry. It is not to go to brother so and so who just blesses you so much on your Christian tv station. It is not even to go to feed children in another country. The tithe is to go to your local church (general offering-not helping hands or youth) and the ministries that it provides locally and internationally through missions support. If you are giving to our Youth program through 52 Club and are considering that as part of your tithe, then please keep your cursed money. I don’t want any part of it. Now we should give offerings over and above the tithe to ministries that we consider to be good soil to plant our seed in, and ministries like Forerunner, helping hands, as well as any number of ministries outside this church are good candidates.

But the tithe is non-negotiable.

I heard an A/G pastor say this weekend that people could just give what they wished as long as it was cheerfully. ..Well-intentioned but wrong. You give your 10% (off the top). God’s not going to bless you just because you feel good about your disobedience!

If I have to cancel subscriptions, or go without heat, or power in order to pay my tithe to my local church then that is what I would do! Why? Not because I am super-holy or because I am a “pastor” because it is the right thing to do! Because the Lord has blessed me with great blessings and grace. Because He has commanded it. Now even though this past year has been a great financial struggle for my family, we have not gone without, and God has blessed us in many ways.

No matter the circumstances, God will bless if you are faithful. If you lost your job, but have been faithful, then look out! The windows of Heaven are open above you! Trust Him! So often we abandon the blessing just before it arrives, because we think God has abandoned us. Sometimes God has to remove the old before the new can come!

If you are faithful, He will meet and even exceed your needs most of the time. If you go through a trial, remember to be faithful to God’s Word and principles and not human wisdom. When things started getting tough for me and my family I told Susi to start giving more in the offering. That would seem ridiculous to most people, but not those who understand the promises of God!

Great book that can help you is “Money Matters” by Larry Burkett. It is in a Q & A format and deals with a lot of practical matters.

II. Faith

Nothing ventured nothing gained

*Make some faith ventures 2 Ki. 4:1-7 (nothing ventured, nothing gained)

When you have a little extra, instead of getting a new tool or dress. Give God some grounds for a miracle. Make a small but wise investment.

People want God to bless them, but they don’t provide any room for Him to do so.

Parable of the talents… Results matter. If one way stops working or doesn’t work…try something else. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

III. Giving

Your prosperity is directly related to the level of your giving.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

This goes beyond the tithe. This goes to a lifestyle of giving. Give of your time, give of your ministry, give of your skills, give of your patience.

God is FOR you!

God wants to bless you! You don’t have to earn it or prove worthy of it. By tithing you aren’t earning His blessings or provision, you are simply placing your self in the flow of God’s blessings.

3John 1:2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Look at the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, and of course Jabez…They prospered because God was with them.

There has been a lot of fanfare over the Prayer of Jabez book, and it’s spin offs. Just remember it wasn’t the words of the prayer but the heart and faith behind them that captured God’s heart.

1Chr 4:10 (NKJV) And Jabez (meaning painful) called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.

Some practical helps…

*Stay out of debt. Only real excuses should be house, car or perhaps school. Not credit cards,

*Budget-duh

*Tithe off the top…give God your first fruits. Mt. 6:33

*Live life knowing that God loves you and is for you not against you. That He wants to bless your socks off, and knows how to do it.

Matt 7:8 (NKJV) "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Remember it is His way not yours.