Increase

If someone you trusted told you that they knew a way you could increase your financial security, your peace of mind, and have greater abundance in your life - and it had nothing to do with sales, pyramid marketing or some other scheme would you be interested?

Today, there are a lot of self help things out there and marketing gimmicks promising wealth and benefit, but they all are based on your extra work and effort.

There is way you can experience this without having to work for it! What you have to do is related to following in obedience to THE ONE WHO WE SHOULD TRUST THE MOST - JESUS!!! HE is the WORD of God and has instructed us how to experience these things in our lives.

Philippians 4:6 NLT

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

We talk about this and yet we so often struggle to fail to trust God with our finances in life - and let’s face it, finances control our lives and are the cause of most stress and worry and concern.

Last week we talked about making Jesus the Champion of our hearts and making Him OVERALL - does that include our finances??? Do we seek HIM and the Kingdom of God FIRST in financial matters - or do we hold back on that...

If you think of it, it makes no sense to put Jesus and the Kingdom of God in a back seat in this area of our lives.

So - let’s look at what Christ and Scriptures teach us in regard to financial security and gain and peace of mind in financial matters.

1. INVEST IN THE ETERNAL

What does that mean to invest in the eternal....

Jesus said ...

Matthew 6:19–21 NLT

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

He also said ...

Luke 12:21 NLT

21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

It was part of a parable and teaching from the same text we looked at last week on the Sermon on the Mount...

Luke 12:13–34 NLT

13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” 16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” 22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? 27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. 33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

The reality of this teaching...

Life it not measured by how much you own...

Worrying about financial matters is unnecessary if your priority is in Christ

Giving to the Kingdom of God stores treasure for eternity not just this lifetime

Where I put my treasure demonstrates where my heart is

We spend so much time worrying about this temporal life that we do not put our focus on the eternal - and how we manage our monies in this life has an effect - a direct correlation to the eternal life!

I guess if you don’t plan on being in heaven, this would not matter!!!

Jesus tells us all we can store up in this life, but it is all subject to loss - and yet our efforts and concerns are primarily focused on not losing what we have stored up...

Think about it.... we work to have in this life, we pay for insurance and security against theft to protect what we have, we spend all of our time maintaining what we have … and yet everything in this life will be gone before we know it....

How many years do we live in the same home, 5, 10, 35, 50 - and then the state takes it to pay for the nursing home!

We can buy nice cars or jewelry and it can easily be taken in a moment...

Things all break down, rust, decay, fall apart… we have gotten disposable in so many areas of life, always changing things out...

So before we can go even further in learning the ART of financial security and peace - is we have to figure out what is important, what lasts, and how do we invest in HEAVENLY investments...

Simple --- invest in the Kingdom of God ---

Our giving to the church, our giving to help others, our giving to ensure that the GOSPEL or MESSAGE of the Kingdom of God is going forward to change lives is what is ETERNAL

When we invest in people finding Jesus, we are investing in their eternity.

You can pack a UHAUL and have it buried with you, but it won’t make it to heaven — however, the lives of those touched through your investments you will reap reward on the other side!

Do you remember when Jesus said to SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM and the rest will be added… well that works for the investment of our “earthly treasures” in life as well.

It was also Jesus who in the same sermon said...

Matthew 6:24 NLT

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

SO, we first start by evaluating if where we put our treasure - the things of this world, the kingdom of God, what are we seeking first with our finances --- just like the Old Testament law taught the FIRST 10% of our income/increase gets invested back to the Lord and work of the ministry — are we seeking first the Kingdom in our giving. IT ONLY BRINGS INCREASE WHEN WE DO!

2. STEWARD THE TEMPORAL

To steward something is to take care of something that belongs to someone else.

It is amazingly freeing when we realize that all we have comes from GOD and belongs to GOD and that we are just stewards of what we have — it is not really ours..

Psalm 24:1 NLT

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

1 Corinthians 10:26 NLT

26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

Psalm 89:11 NLT

11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.

Corinthians tells us...

1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT

2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

Matthew 25:14–34 NLT

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

OK, realize that Jesus is speaking about money and the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN in relation to the fact that everyone on earth receives a different amount from GOD, but our INCREASE is determined on what we do with what we are given!

The United States First Billionaire was John D. Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 — May 23, 1937). He was an American oil industry business magnate and philanthropist. He is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time, and the richest person in modern history. His peak net worth was estimated at $336 billion (in 2007 USD; inflation-adjusted) in 1913. He once said then in an interview

"Yes, I Tithe"

Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord.

I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.

Stewardship begins with recognizing where the blessings come from and bringing it back to the source. It is a lesson in trusting God, but it goes beyond just the investment back into the eternal things of God...

We have to manage our funds correctly -

There are warnings in Scripture about going into debt without being willing to clear the debt...

We need to use wisdom in our spending and place needs before wants

Learning to live within our means

Learning contentment with what we have and what we can afford

Not being wasteful with money

There are many who tithe into the Kingdom that are still learning these principles of stewardship and managing what God has entrusted to us....

That is not saying a Christian cannot have nice things, take a trip or be blessed, it means there needs to be wisdom in how we spend...

If we cannot give into the Kingdom because we buy every gadget that sits in a closet or are always entertaining ourselves, or indulging. that would be a different concern....

Just as bad as abusive spending is burying money away --- storing up in barns and not sharing with others in need or investing into the Kingdom...

The last man hid his money in the ground! Did nothing with it to further the Kingdom or help others… in the story Jesus taught that we read earlier, a man filled the barns only to have them burn down...

God’s money is not intended to be hidden away, but used wisely to be effective for the Kingdom of God ---

In this life we need to learn to be good stewards - it is a process - because God is going to use us to rule and reign with Him, and He is looking for those who have learned how to manage well what has been entrusted to them.

3. HONOR THE PRINCIPLES

There are Biblical principles in Scripture on managing our monies that BEGIN with tithing...

Yes, the Old Testament teaches us to tithe, however, the first principle of tithing came before the law was ever given when Moses paid tithes to Melchizedek (an appearance of Christ in Scripture), then the command to tithe to sustain the ministry of the priesthood to Israel was established, and then Jesus actually reinforced the tithe when he spoke to the people, saying it is something you ought to do, and then he added unto it taking care of others...

But look at this passage in Hebrews ...

If Jesus is better than Melchizedek and a High Priest forever after Him… than is HE NOT WORTHY of our continued honor in this area????

Hebrews 7:1–21 NLT

1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.” 3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God. 4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. 5 Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 7 And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. 8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. 9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. 10 For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him. 11 So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? 12 And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. 13 For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. 14 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. 15 This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. 16 Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, “The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”

Of course the common Scripture we hear is when Israel robbed God of their tithes and were commanded to bring them back… and there will be abundance!!! INCREASE

Malachi 3:8–11 NLT

8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

and FOR THOSE WHO SAY TITHING IS OLD TESTAMENT --- may I remind you the NEW TESTAMENT always INCREASES ---

Law said to not murder, Jesus said not to be angry with

Law said not to commit adultery, Jesus said not to lust after another person with your eyes

Law said to go one mile with a person, Jesus said to go two

2 Corinthians 9:1–15 NLT

1 I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem. 2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving. 3 But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you. 4 We would be embarrassed—not to mention your own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them! 5 So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly. 6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

Bring a CHEERFUL GIFT of abundance --- we BEGIN WITH THE TITHE and INCREASE which then comes with INCREASE

Conclusion

Remember, that you cannot out give God....

The whole learning to find INCREASE is to

INVEST in the ETERnal

STEWARD the TEMPORAL

and

HONOR the PRINCIPLES

Luke 6:38 NLT

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”