PROSPERITY, RICHES AND HONOR - NYOBS 47.07

PROSPERITY, RICHES & HONOR

ASK and RECEIVE – NAME IT and CLAIM IT – BLAB IT and GRAB IT

Name it and Claim it

·         The Prosperity Message has been around for a number of years and has certainly brought prosperity to those who teach it.  - NYOBS 27.02 – PROSPERITY MESSAGE REVISITED

·         For a good while, all we heard was Name it and Claim it; prosperity was a PROMISED gift from God to the Believer, then it became just Blab it and Grab it, it was your entitlement.

·         I must admit that the nations that embrace Christianity are certainly more prosperous that those that do not, especially those Countries that practice the occult and the secret arts.

·         Scripture seems to support prosperity; that the Believer will be the head and not the tail – We will lend too many and owe no one - God will give us the desires of our heart and He will use other men to bless us and we will have a prosperous retirement.

John 16:24 – ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE
²⁴ Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (KJV)

Proverbs 28:10 - The upright shall have good things in possession
¹⁰ Whoever causes the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession. (KJV)

Philippians 4:19 - God will supply every need
¹⁹ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Psalm 84:11 - No good thing will be withheld
¹¹ No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (ESV)

Luke 11:13 – God will give good gifts to His children
¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (ESV)

Deuteronomy 15:18 - The Lord will bless all that you do
¹⁸ The LORD thy God shall bless you in all that you do.

(KJV)

Deuteronomy 28:12 - God will open to you His good treasure
¹²  The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Luke 6:38 – God will use other men to bless you.

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. KJV

Job 36:11 – Spend your retirement years in contentment

11 If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment NIV

God’s Part - The Promise

·         First of all, God’s promises cannot be applied universally, they are only for Believers and are limited to the works that give glory to God.

·          The Believer has promises throughout the Bible.  Some are One Sided; they are all God; He will perform them no matter what we do.  Others are Two Sided involving our participation and have an IF, THEN, BUT clause in them. – NYOBS 30.02 CIRCUMCISION – NEW COVENANT

·         The Promise - We will be established as Holy unto the Lord and everything we undertake will succeed.

·         We will be blessed coming in and going out, blessed in the city and in the country.

·         Blessed with children; lots of cattle and good crops – Our barns will be full of food.

·         God will open up His treasury and we will abound in Prosperity – We will lead to many and owe nobody. - Our enemies will flee from us in fear.

·         IF Clause - If we obey the commandments of the LORD our God, which He commanded us, being careful to do them, and IF we do not turn aside from any of His words that He commanded, to the right hand or to the left, or go after other gods and serve them.

Deuteronomy 28:2-12 – THE PROMISE
² And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, IF you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
³ Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed in the field.
⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
⁵ Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
⁶ Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
⁷ The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
⁸ The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
⁹ The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
¹⁰ And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
¹¹ The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
¹² The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail. (ESV)

Deuteronomy 28:13-14 – IF You Obey My Commandments

¹³ IF you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
¹⁴ and IF you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left.  (ESV)

Our Part – The Request

·         The Promise of Prosperity has some stipulations that are in place;

·         Only the Believer has the right to appropriate, inherit or have any interest in the promises. The name of Jesus Christ is the pledge that redeems them, His name is the Key that fits the Lock of the treasury.

·         Ask according to His Will. – How can you know His WILL? – Study His Word – Pray and seek the direction of the Holy Spirit.

·         Ask for what would glorify Jesus Christ. – How can you know? - Study His Word.

·         In all your ways; acknowledge and reverence Him. - Seek and Thirst for the kingdom of God; then the rest will be added to you.

·         Cast your finances over the SEA of humanity and before long you will see it coming back on wave after wave.  NYOBS 27.03 - CASTING BREAD UPON THE WATERS

Philippians 4:19 – God is ABLE to supply our needs
¹⁹ And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (HCSB)

John 16:24 – Ask according to My Will
²⁴ Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks! (MSG)

John 14:13-14 – Ask that the Father may be glorified
¹³ whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (ESV)

John 15:16 – Ask – Receive – Go and bear fruit that will last
¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (NIV2011)

Matthew 6:33 - Seek first the kingdom of God
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Psalm 42:2 - Thirst for the Living God
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (ESV)

Proverbs 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge him
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)

Psalm 115:13 – Fear and reverence the Lord
¹³ He will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. (ESV)

Eccl 11:1 – Give and after a while you will see it coming back

1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. NKJV

WHY PROSPER?

·         Out of all of God’s wealth and possessions, He values man the most.

·         What do we have that we did not receive from God? – All the Silver and Gold belongs to Him. - It is God that gives Health, Wealth, Possessions, Power and Honor.

·         Man makes his plans, but God is the one that directs his steps.

·         We prosper so that we can make a difference in others’ lives. – When we water the lives of others, we actually water our own lives.  

Proverbs 16:9 - Man plans his way, But God directs his steps
⁹ A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 4:7 - What do you have that you did not receive?
⁷ What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 5:19 - God gives Wealth, Possessions and Power
¹⁹ Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. (ESV)

Haggai 2:8 - The silver is mine and the gold is mine
⁸ The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 13:12 - Man is worth more than fine gold
¹²  I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. (NKJV)

Proverbs 11:25 - The generous soul will be made rich
²⁵ The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. (NKJV)

3 John 2 – As our spirit enlarges, so will our health

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers. KJV

Deut 28:12-13 – Bless the work of your hands

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. NIV

2 Cor 9:10-11 – You will be made rich so you can give

10 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.

11 You will be made rich in every way SO THAT YOU CAN BE GENEROUS on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. NIV

Deut 15:7-8 – Don’t be tight fisted toward the poor.

7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.  

8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. NIV

Prov 19:17 – When you’re kind to the poor, you lend to the Lord

17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. NIV

Acts 20:35 – The blessing is in the giving

35 It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" NIV

Mal 3:11 – Satan can’t come against your efforts

11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. NIV

The Poor

·         To some; wealth and prosperity may prove to be destructive and deadly and so it’s withheld.

·         Not everyone will prosper; not everyone has been given the same talents, but everyone has been given at least one ability; Life is not about how much you have been given, but what you have done with what you have.

·         Prosperity is accompanied by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of its riches which chokes the word of God and makes it unfruitful. – Everyone cannot handle this.

·         Solomon the wisest man in the world said; Give me neither poverty nor riches – Don’t let me become so poor that I am forced to steal and disgrace your name and don’t give me so much that I forget your statutes.

·         We will always have the poor with us; the bigger question is; what are YOU going to do about it? – To whom much is given, much is required.

Matthew 25:14-15 – God gives Talents according to our ability.
¹⁴ For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY. Then he went away. (ESV)

Mark 12:42-44 – It’s what we do with; “What we Have”
⁴² Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
⁴³  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;
⁴⁴  for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty PUT IN ALL THAT SHE HAD, her whole livelihood."

(NKJV)

Deuteronomy 15:10-11- We will always have the poor with us
¹⁰ 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 in everything you put your hand to.
¹¹ There will ALWAYS BE POOR PEOPLE in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

(NIV2011)

Proverbs 16:8 - Better is having little and have righteousness
⁸ Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. (NKJV)

Proverbs 30:8-9 - Give me neither poverty nor riches
⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
⁹  lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (ESV)

Matthew 13:22 -The deceitfulness of riches choke the word
²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (ESV)

Psalm 34:10 – If you seek the Lord you will not lack
¹⁰ Those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (ESV)

Welfare

·         If you are not willing to work, then neither shall you eat. – God said it; not me.

·         Jesus talks about prosperity in the Gospels. – He starts off by letting us know that by example, The Father worked and so did the Son. – Even the disciples set their example by working to pay for their food so that they would not be a burden to anyone.

·         Jesus was a carpenter and encouraged us to work with our hands; that the excellence of our work would be like a “silent salesman” recommending us for promotions. – It has happened to me all my life.

·         Our wealth will increase directly proportional to our labors. – We are to be diligent; we were created to do our work as unto the Lord. – He is watching how we perform our work even in the absence of our boss. – God will bless and reward us.

·         Even if you are poor; Jesus has already ask God the Father to give you your daily bread. –Not a week worth or months’ supply; but just today’s needs. – Even the Hebrew’s in the desert were provided there daily bread; the manna, one day at a time.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 - If you don’t work, neither shall you eat.
¹⁰ If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. (NKJV)

John 5:17 - The Father and Son have been working
¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." (NKJV)

Matthew 13:55 – Jesus worked as a carpenter.
⁵⁵ Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? (NKJV)

2 Thessalonians 3:7-8 – Disciples worked for their food
⁷ For you know that … We were not IDLE when we were with you.
⁸ We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We WORKED hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you

1 Thessalonians 4:11 - Work with your own hands
¹¹  That you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, (NKJV)

Ephesians 2:10 - You were created for good works
¹⁰  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Proverbs 22:29 – Do Excellent work - you will stand before kings
²⁹ Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings (NKJV)

2 Timothy 2:15 – Be Diligent, do your work as unto the Lord
¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (NKJV)

Proverbs 13:11 – Wealth will increase according to your Labor.
¹¹ Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase. (NKJV)

Deuteronomy 15:18 - God will bless you in all that you do
¹⁸ The LORD your God will bless you in all that you do. (NKJV)

2 Chronicles 15:7 - Your work shall be rewarded
⁷ But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!" (NKJV)

Matthew 6:11 – God will provide the poor with daily bread
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, (ESV)

The Tithe

·         The Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship was for the most part made up of Pentecostal Businessmen that believed in the ACTIVE “Gifts of the Spirt”.  I am a life member and have not changed that belief.

·         I expressed to the fellowship that I needed prayer, that I was making 16k and needed a job that paid more. – They asked if I was tithing – I said NO, because I did not make enough to tithe, but I was giving. – NYOBS 04.30 – THE TITHE

·         They admonished me to tithe on the amount that I wanted to make. - I did and four months later I was promoted with a salary of 20k, just the amount I was tithing. – I shared with the FGBMF what had happened and they said I was short sighted, that I should have tithed on more.

·         I increased my tithe and in 3 more months I was promoted again, receiving 24k the exact amount I was tithing.

·         Within the year I was FIRED and on that FRIDAY, the very same day, I received an unsolicited phone call and was offered the very best job I have ever had in my whole life… By MONDAY, I had a new job and was not only making enough to live on, but I was fulfilling my dreams and the indescribable desires of my heart.

·         True Story – I just need to brag a little on God. - I was sending a small check to a missionary every time I receive their envelope in the mail which I thought was once a month… At tax time I was checking my bank statements and discovered that I had been sending money to them three times a month and had not even noticed. – Praise God -

·         I must confess that with the New Covenant, we are no longer under the law to tithe even though it’s a New Testament principal; however you would still do well to continue to tithe; it lets you get in on what God is doing.

·         Good News – God has many storehouses; you can spread around your tithe; you can give anywhere your spirit directs you to, and that’s the FUN. - Give to your church to pay the workers, give to strangers and the beggar, the widow and the orphan. – More good news, you can take care of a family member and that will reduce the drain on the church’s finances.

·         Bad News – If you are living in deliberate sin, your giving will not be blessed at all.

2 Cor 8:11-12 – Give what you have, not what you don’t have.

11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. NIV

Deut 16:17 – Your giving is proportional to your blessings.

17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you. NIV

Neh 12:44 – Many storerooms – Many overseers.

44 At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits and tithes NIV

Deut 14:29 – Give to the stranger.

29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. NIV

Deut 26:12 – Give to the orphan and the widow.

12 you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. NIV

1 Tim 5:16 – Give to family – Reduce burden on the church

16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

NIV

1 John 3:17 – When you give; the love of God is in you

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? NIV

Col 3:23-24 – Work as service unto the Lord

23 Whatever you do, WORK at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. NIV

Deut 23:18 – If you are in sin, you will not be blessed. (Homosexual)

18 You shall not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog (boy prostitute), into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God KJV

Closing Thoughts

This study is to re-direct your thoughts on Welfare, Work and Prosperity. 

God supplied our needs in our yesterdays and will supply it in our tomorrows.

Prosperity is not Name it and Claim it or Blab it and Grab it.  

It’s a two sided promise requiring our request to glorify God.

Dual Intent of Prospering and Giving:

It demonstrates our thankfulness for what God had already given to us;

 and it demonstrates our trust that He will continue to bless us

It is God who gives us the ability to have the power to obtain wealth. 

It is given so that we can water others and in so doing, we ourselves get watered. 

God wants us to personally enjoy and partake in the results of our Work.

Whether Rich or Poor; the Believer has been redeemed without money.

1 Corinthians 9:9-10 – Share in and enjoy the profits
⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
¹⁰ Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.

(NIV2011)

Philippians 4:19 – God will supply all our needs
¹⁹ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Exodus 30:15 – Rich or Poor; we all give the same
¹⁵ The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, (ESV)

Isaiah 52:3 – We have been redeemed without money
³ For thus says the LORD: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” (ESV)

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

A commentary; Critical, Experimental and Practical - Eerdmans

All the Parables of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer

All the Promises of the Bible - Herbert Lockyer

Expositors Bible Commentary: The – Frank E. Gaebelein

Exposition of the Parables – Benjamin Keach

Harpers Bible Dictionary – Harper & Row

Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale

New International Dictionary of the Bible: The - Douglas – Tenney

Thru the Bible Series – J. Vernon McGee

Victor Journey through the Bible; The – V. Gilbert Beers

Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible - Tenney