Wealth Wise

Laziness and Debt are not Blessed!

LAZINESS LEAVES YOU BROKE!

Proverbs 10:4 “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 20:4,13 “The sluggard does not plow after autumn, so he begs during the harvest and has nothing. . . . Do not sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.”

NOTE: The wisdom of this proverb is not that you are to never sleep and always be working if you want to profit and be provided for. Wisdom says there is a time for everything and when its time to work you need to work so that your rest and sleep can be peaceful and you will not be in need.

Proverbs 24:30-34 “I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

NOTE: This picture is neglect for property yet the greatest principle to learn is the neglect of our soul wealth, because we are busy creating material wealth, our overall life no matter how much we have looks like this field he passed by.

“v32 when I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. ‘A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,’ Then poverty will comes as a robber and your want like an armed man.”

NOTE: Proverbs has more to say about laziness Proverbs 10:5, 12:24, 13:11, 26:13-16, 28:19

Can I ask you a question? Do you work as hard at becoming a student of Jesus as you do making money? Poverty comes like a robber and your want like an armed man and in the end that poverty of the soul is worse than a beggar on the street.

DEBT LEAVES YOU BROKE!

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lenders slave.”

NOTE: The middle Class model has deceived the world into thinking that the gap between the rich and the poor is not as far as once thought. Those who borrow today if done right can have things, make money on what they borrow, and even not pay back the money through loop hole and laws if it doesn’t work out.

However there are still the haves and the have nots. Proverbs 13:7 “There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.”

The system we have all bought into is the worlds system not Christ’s!

Unless you are a part of the elite of the nations, the Bilderberger, the illuminati, pick your package you truly own nothing. Every known resource to man is owned and is being bought up and patented and controlled by the truly wealthy of this world.

The reason debt leaves you broke is because you never truly own anything and you are constantly a slave to the payment book and it encourages the desire to have more.

1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”

2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

1 Peter 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.”

NOTE: If you you are thinking about going into debt or deeper into debt I urge you to think again with the wisdom of God not the desires of the World.

If you are in debt then

Proverbs 6:1-5 “My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a stranger, 2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,Have been caught with the words of your mouth, 3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. Give no asleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”

CLOSE: Laziness and Debt are not blessed by God. The world we live in is becoming more and more obstinate against these Wealth wise Principles. Yet today you have heard the truth of God so you decide. Maybe you need to repent today, maybe you need to talk to Him about a new plan of getting out of Bed and getting out of debt. Maybe today you recognize you have a fairly solid plan earning a pretty good material life and yet are broke poor when it comes to your relationship with Christ. He is waiting for you to come to Him.

Generosity Is Blessed

Proverbs 3:27-28 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it.’”

Matthew 5:42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”

Luke 11:5-13 This is exactly the way God treats those who ask.

Proverbs 11:24-26 “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”

Proverbs 22:9 “He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.”

NOTE: Generosity given when needed, with purpose and wisdom to help others is blessed by God. God is generous and expects nothing less from His children. The Blessed life is the life that simply does what is RIGHT! And Generosity, Grace, Mercy is RIGHT!

Proverbs 3:33 “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.”

Proverbs 10:2-3 “Ill gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death. The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject the craving of the wicked.”

Proverbs 11:28 “He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

NOTE: So to give a smile, an encouraging word, help someone financially, stop to help someone stranded, apologize, bless those who curse us, silently sacrifice so that others can have, walk away from sin, we develop a soul that flourishes in the blessings of God. Generosity is Blessed by God because its righteous!

TRANS: Now in the Church community there is an expected generosity from all believers to support the “Work” of the church. It is called the tithe and I want to talk about it. Because some tithe and do none of what we just talked about. Other are generous when they can but never tithe. So what is it and how should we be Giving to the church?

Old Testament form of Offerings and Tithes

Genesis 4:3-4 “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for His offering.”

NOTE: Early in Creation God taught mankind to be grateful and offer thanks by giving back their first or their best to Him trusting that He would always provide for them.

TRANS: One of the first “Tithes” we see is in Genesis 14:20 when kings of the Sodom and Gomorrah region fought against each other and Abraham’s nephew Lot and his possessions were stolen. Abraham led his trained men (318) and brought back Lot, all the stolen goods, and the women and children. Once back this Priest “Melchizedek” king of Salem Blessed Abram and Abram gave him a “tenth” of all.

Exodus 23:14-19 The feasts of unleavened bread, feast of the Harvest (First fruits), and the feast of Ingathering (End harvests) and they were to bring the “choice first fruits.” in Thanksgiving!

Similar is Lev. 2:1-16 The Grain offering

Lev. 1:1-17 Burnt offering for sin from the flock without defect or a bird like a turtle dove or young pigeon.

Lev. 4-6 Are the Sin and Guilt Offering.

Deut. 12:2-7, 17-19

Deut 12:6 “There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.”

Why were they brought?

Numbers 3 tells us that God chose Aaron’s line to be the priests and they were to take care of the tent and tabernacle.

Numbers 18:6 The levites taken from among Israel were a “gift to you, dedicated to the Lord.”

Numbers 18:8-21 v.19 All the offerings of the holy gifts which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord I have given to you, your sons, and your daughters, as a perpetual allotment. v.20 You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. v.21 to the sons of Levi behold I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.”

Joshua 21:2-3 is the Levites land allotment.

Malachi 3:8-12 God said that Israel had robbed Him through tithes and offerings and then told them to test Him and give and see if He wouldn’t bless them.

NOTE: We also see that later God’s prophets were supported by generous people who would supply their needs.

New Testament Principle of Tithe and Offering.

John 8:1-3 Several women “were contributing to their support out of their private means.”

Luke 21:1-4 “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small cooper coins. And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.’”

NOTE:

Acts 2:45 “and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all as anyone might have need.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

NOTE: God does not need your money and neither does anyone else and yet there is a principle that says we miss bountiful blessings when we are stingy. Paul also does not set a ten percent standard or tithe but says you decide in your heart, you and God, don’t let the church pressure you but give with cheer in your heart!

The collection for the Saints. 1 Cor. 16:1-4, 2 Cor. 8:1-9:15 (Macedonia), Romans 15:14-32

1 Timothy 5:17-18 “The elders who rule