Sermon Notes

May 27, 2016

God Wants to Prosper You


Are you trustworthy?

I think most of us, right off the bat, would respond with a resounding “Yes!You may be known for showing up early and leaving late, keeping your promises and following through with your word… but how are you with your finances? Can God trust you as His money manager?

Ouch.

It is a sticky topic for a lot of people. But do you know the topic of money is discussed over 800 times in your bible? And not once is debt justified.

Our entire world seems to revolve around the acquisition of more. Advertisers feed us big, fat lies of how money will bring us joy, peace and fulfillment. The culture we live in eats, sleeps and breathes immediate gratification. Oh, you can’t afford something? Just open up a new card!

“The American Dream!” they say. But it’s all counterfeit lies from the enemy. When we accumulate more and more debt, we subject ourselves to a yoke too heavy for us to carry, becoming slaves to the lender. When you have no margin to give, many end up cheating God. And when we cheat God, we are truly cheating ourselves.

But in God’s redemptive nature, He has made a way out!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.(Matthew 11: 28-30 NKJV).

The question is, will you take His offer? It will require a bit of surrendering and sacrifice on your part. Lifting the old yoke off your shoulders will mean not purchasing things you cannot truly afford. It will require work, dedication and accountability as you tackle past debts. You will need to budget, and the first thing you need to account for is your giving. You may say to yourself, “I can’t afford to give!” My friend, you cannot afford not to!

The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller (Proverbs 24:26 MSG).

God doesn’t need your money, He needs to know He can trust you. If you refuse to give back to Him that which is truly His to begin with, how can you expect Him to bless you with more? However, if you are faithful with what you have right now, I assure you He will be faithful to you, A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into your lap (Luke 6:38)!

He is trustworthy, and that you can take to the bank!

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