Intro: over the years there are many ministers who have been labeled prosperity preachers. Their main message has been that God desires to prosper the lives of those who serve Him. Even though I do not agree with every aspect of some of their teachings, I am in full agreement with the concept of God prospering our lives as we serve Him. Tonight I would like to give some important verses on the thought:
Is God Into Prosperity?
I. Genesis 39:3-and the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. In the case of Joseph in the land of Egypt, we see God using prosperity as a tool for witness. We read here that Joseph’s master realized that the Lord was with him in everything he did, and it prospered in his hand.
· I believe this is the first reason God is into prospering our lives, is that it can be used as a witness for the Lord. As people see you being blessed by God, they become aware of God’s presence in the world.
· Joseph’s prosperity was part of a bigger plan. God didn’t prosper Joseph just for the sake of Joseph, he blessed him so that his family would all be spared. We can never see prosperity as an end in itself, God blesses us to become a blessing.
· Joseph wasn’t seeking prosperity, he was seeking God. So many times we can get the prosperity message backwards. We want to prosper, or be successful, so that we can glorify God: but the truth is, we should seek God’s glory, so that He might make us to prosper.
II. Deuteronomy 29:9—keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all you do. Here we see God tying prosperity to the walk of obedience. God wants this law to be understood, prosperity and obedience will always go together.
· Prosperity is a sign of a submitted life to God. God won’t bless disobedience because that would send out the wrong message. As God told Cain, if you do well, you will be rewarded or your gift will be respected, but if you don’t do well, sin is at the door.
· So many people quote the positive of Deuteronomy 29—but all those blessings are reversed with disobeying God’s law. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
III. 2 Chronicles 26:4-5 as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. Here is Uzziah, a 16 year old King, who God prospered under the spiritual leadership of Zechariah.
· The next law of prosperity is that God rewards relationship. Someone who has no relationship with God cannot expect to prosper. God has always made it, you don’t get the gift, until you get the giver.
· The bible states he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek after him. As you seek after God, like David, have a heart after God, God will promote you, open doors of opportunity for you, advance you in this world.
IV. Psalms 1:1-3-and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
· Here is a principal that everyone should know: if you run with a pack of dogs you are bound to get fleas. God says here, if you want to prosper, be careful who you surround your life with, if you want to be blessed, don’t be drawn in by negative influences in your life.
· Love the Word of God, apply God’s Word to your life and you will prosper. The bible says, (Isaiah 26:3) thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: to be prosperous God says, stay focused, don’t get distracted, keep your mind on God, God’s Word. Isaiah 55:11—God’s word will never return void, it will accomplish what it sets out to do, it will prosper in the thing where it was sent.
· Like a tree that will not be moved—God will make you stable, he will establish your goings. If you keep focused on God, he will make you an immovable and unshakeable person.
V. John 3:2—even as thy soul prospers—God has a holy order in prosperity. You will never prosper in anything else, until you first prosper in your spirit. The natural man is so closely tied to the spiritual man, that for the natural man to be blessed, the spiritual man must be blessed first.
· Natural blessings without spiritual blessings aren’t blessings at all. In the world we live in, there are many people who are blessed with talents, abilities, finance, property, and many other things, but they will never be prosperous in the Biblical sense unless their souls prosper. Because you will never enjoy any natural blessing unless it is preceded by a spiritual blessing.
· Here is the last God principle for tonight on prosperity: if you only seek natural prosperity, you will never be fulfilled in natural prosperity, but if you achieve spiritual prosperity, you will enjoy both spiritual and natural prosperity.
Examples: no matter how blessed your marriage may be in the natural, you will never have a truly blessed marriage without the spiritual. No matter how great of a business success you attain, you will never be fully satisfied in that success unless it is connected to spiritual goals. The natural deterioration of things: the longer you achieve the natural prosperity, the less fulfilling it will become, the more you achieve spiritual prosperity, the more fulfilling it will become.
Close: God is into prosperity. But God has a holy order of prosperity He will not remove.
He blesses us to be a witness of his hand on our lives.
He blesses us out of relationship with us.
He blesses us out of obedience to His word.
He blesses us as we focus on His word for our lives.
He blesses us in natural ways, as we grow in spiritual ways.
If you want to be blessed, apply thoroughly. A little dab won’t do ya.
