Can You Stand The Increase? Series

Can You Stand the Increase? - Sermon 1 of 4

Matthew 9:17 - Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

I Timothy 6:6-11 - But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Sermon:

I believe that the people of God needs to understand that as God bless us, there is a greater need for us to be good stewards. We curse ourselves when God is trying to bless us because we only partially fulfill the contract. For years one of the greatest misconceptions of stewardship was that it ended when we gave our tithe, our offering, and seeds, and that is only clause A of the contract. My question therefore becomes, “If I pay tithes, gives offerings, and sow seeds what do I do with rest?”

Why drive a luxury car to a trailer?

Why wear flashy clothes and jewelry and you’re hungry?

It is poor stewardship that causes men to wear expensive clothes, with rims on your car and cannot afford to make your child support payments. It is poor stewardship that causes women to sport Gucci bags, their hair and nails done every week and struggle to pay your bills.

With the pressure to impress becoming prevalent in our churches, we cannot teach and preach only economic empowerment, but economic management to teach us how to administrate what God has empowered us to possess. Somehow, we have become obsessed with the need to impress while missing how to be truly blessed. We have failed to acquire the skills necessary for sustaining success and the spiritual stability to keep your focus.

For our church, 2007 is the year of covenant perfection and maturity and today we stop the madness. Nothing that you can buy, sell, trade, be given, or receive in this world has any affect on your soul.

Your clothes

Your cell phone

Your plasma, LCD TV

Your MP3 Player

Your Palm Pilot

And everything else you got for Christmas doesn’t represent your status in the eyes of the Lord. You cannot buy your way into heaven. Salvation is free, and Jesus paid it all.

Do I believe in supernatural return on your giving?

Do I believe in a God that will open up a window of heaven and pour out a blessing if I pay my tithes and offerings?

Do I believe in reaping a good harvest when I sow good seed into good grown?

Yes, I’m living proof of what happens when you put faith into action operating kingdom principles, but why should I teach you to claim a car without teaching you about car payments and interest on the loan? Why should I teach you to invest in items that depreciate, while you fail to invest in things that you will appreciate with time? Why should we tell you about prosperity without helping you to develop a strategy that will bridge the gulf between what you believe and what you receive? It is important to me that we have trained people with an insatiable appetite, but more importantly, that we have people that know how to receive what they cannot budget with their checkbooks.

I want our church to be filled with blessed people with balanced budgets.

I want our church to be filled with blessed people with financial outlooks.

I want our church to be filled with blessed people with purposeful plans.

God’s design for you to receive more financially, but the catch is this. It only comes when and how he decides to release it. God doesn’t pour wine into old wineskin, because old skins lack elasticity, and when the wine fills them they burst. In other words, the skin is not capable of to stand the increase. As you become more blessed, if you don’t change your business skills you will not be able to stand the increase that God wants to release to you. Ask your neighbor, “Can You Stand the Increase?”

Can you stand the unprecedented favor?

Can you stand the unexpected checks?

Can you stand the unidentified resources?

Can you stand the gifts and surprises?