Why Jesus Is The Greatest Gift Ever! (PT 4)

GOD'S INTERRUPTION OF OUR DESTRUCTION

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by
nature objects of wrath." ~Eph 2:1-3

"BUT… because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, (disobedient behavior or sin) -it is by grace you have been saved." ~Eph 2:4-5

1. AMAZING Grace – so incredible you cannot fathom it

GRACE means 'God’s unearned or undeserved kindness and favour'

WE deserved to PAY but JESUS made a WAY!

SAVED means 'rescued from the penalty of judgment owed'

The Law of Double Jeopardy:

you cannot convict or punish

for the same crime twice.

• He became sin – that we might become righteous
• He was cursed – that we might be blessed
• He became poor on the cross – that we might become rich
• He wore the crown of thorns – that you might wear the crown of peace

Condemnation points to our PAST – we can’t do anything about it

GRACE has provided for our PRESENT AND our FUTURE – we were bound up, messed up BUT GRACE SET US FREE!

"My life is no longer a disgrace -
because Jesus has given me grace!"

2. ABUNDANT Grace - so immense you cannot comprehend it

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." ~John 1:16

God doesn't want to give you just one gift - God's grace is so good that he is piling up his gifts for you!

Grace also means 'His power to help us live an abundant life and accomplish what we could NEVER do on our own'

3. ABOUNDING Grace – so immeasurable that you cannot contain it

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need." ~2 Cor 9:8

ABOUND means 'to overflow in a continual stream'

His grace isn't bound (restricted) - but it is 'abounding'!

There is NOTHING I can't FACE because of HIS GRACE!

• There are Seasons when we know the MIRACLE God
• There are Seasons when we know the SUSTAINING God

Why Jesus Is The Greatest Gift Ever! (PT 3)

LIVING HOPEFUL in TOUGH TIMES

“…And his name will be the Hope of All the World.” ~Matt 12:21

WHAT IS HOPE?

HOPE means 'a confident expectation that rests on the Promises of God.'

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God! ~Psalm 43:5 NLT

And His name will be… 'a confident expectation that rests on the promises that God has made to every one of us.

WE ALL NEED HOPE!

To Hope is to carry on; to push through.

WITH JESUS we are ‘HOPE-FULL’ – We are full of hope!

**We can COPE with EVERYTHING in LIFE when we put HOPE in CHRIST! 

HOW DO WE GET HOPE?

• BELIEVE that Jesus has Great things for you
• PRAY and ask Jesus to help you through
• EXPECT that Jesus will fulfill His great promises for you

CHALLENGE:  Hope… that’s what we all need; it’s what we all want.  If we could have access to hope 24/7, it would be a much better world.  Hope… that’s what Jesus came to give everyone, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, culture or religion.  We do not have to live for one minute without this hope.  Jesus is our hope and we do have full access to Him every moment of every day!  In Romans 15:13 we read, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Stop right now and ask Jesus to be your hope.  In the midst of what you are going through, reach out to Jesus… He is reaching out to you with hope today!

Why Jesus Is The Greatest Gift Ever! (PT 2)

WHO'S BACKING YOUR PROMISE?

Jesus answered, "I am the Way and THE TRUTH and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~John 14:6

Last week we learned about Jesus as 'The Life'.  This week, we get an understanding of Jesus as 'The Truth'.  We have unfortunately let society give us a counterfeit definition of 'truth'.  We have allowed ourselves to think that we are defined by our clothes, our vehicle, our house or even our circumstances.

Sometimes we make choices with counterfeit information we believe to be truth.  We can also make choices based on information we get from others, only to discover it wasn't the truth.  The thing about counterfeit is that it is a way of robbing the recipient. It's such a subtle form of robbery, it's not a burglary in broad daylight. Nor is it a pickpocket where you find out after the fact once you start looking for what was taken. Counterfeit actually requires someone else pointing out to you that you've been taken. In good faith you think what you have is real and then someone points out its fake, it's not the real thing.

When this happens, we can become frustrated:

• It isn't what we thought it was
• It's face value ends up not being what we thought
• We didn't know how to identify something as being counterfeit and we got stuck with it

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ~John 8:44

A LIE:

• Perverts the truth
• Tells people what they want to hear
• Mixes enough truth to make a lie appear realistic

How Do We Identify The Truth?
We need a 'benchmark' or a standard.  If we spend time studying a counterfeit, another counterfeit could come by and we could be fooled by it, because we don't have a benchmark - the real thing.  When we spend time with the authentic, we have a standard (the truth) that we can compare anything with, to see if it matches up.  This way, any counterfeit will be quickly exposed.  However, learning how to identify the truth isn't instant.  It takes time to be trained to be able to know the authentic from a counterfeit.  The more time you spend with the authentic (the truth), the easier it will become to identify the various counterfeits that may come your way.

Jesus Is The Real Deal... Jesus Is The 'Truth'!
The good news is that we have received the greatest gift ever.  We have received the gift of Jesus Christ.  Jesus came that even in the midst of all of the counterfeits, we might be able to know the truth.  Jesus is not in agreement with the standard... Jesus is the standard.  He doesn't rely on the original... He is the original.

What Is Truth?
TRUTH is defined as 'constancy, agreement with a standard or original, accurate-without fault, truth is opposed to falsehood.'

There are many facts out there that over time are proven incorrect.  Facts are not constant.  They are subject to change.  However, the Truth never changes.  For example, gravity has always been and will always be gravity.  It will always work the same way... something falling at a constant 9.8 metres per second, squared.

How Is JESUS The TRUTH?

1. Jesus is CONSTANT ~Rev. 22:13

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. ~Hebrews 13:8

Sin is a debt and it will come due.  What will you pay for that debt with?  Christ came to pay our bill for us.  We are free from the debt of sin by Christ's finished work on the cross.  You can trust that Jesus paid your debts because He is constant, always backing His promises!

• The value of the dollar goes up and down; it's not constant.  It fluctuates because those who trade currency change their belief in the ability of a government to back their currency with their federal reserve.
• A dollar is a 'promissory note' that is backed by a promise made by the government that they will have the money to guarantee that dollar.
• Jesus has the capacity to back His promises... without fluctuation.  He owns it all!  You can be assured.  He has always kept and will always keep his promises!

2. Jesus is in in AGREEMENT with God the Father ~John 15:15

• Jesus understood His source, God the Father.
• Jesus' purpose came from the Father, Jesus life on earth worked towards the purpose of the Father.
• Jesus came to unite the world to their creator. Everything He did was in agreement to that.
• Jesus is truthful but more than that He IS THE TRUTH.  He IS THE TRUTH because of what He accomplished here on earth.

3. Jesus is WITHOUT FAULT ~Hebrews 10:14

• In order to have relationship with God, people in the Old Testament days had to make continual sacrifices because there was nothing that could be given to a perfect God that could take care of our sin issue.
• That was before Jesus; He came and once and for all paid the price as the perfect sacrifice.
• Jesus OPPOSES Lies - Satan is the father of all lies - no lie comes from the truth.

Knowing THE TRUTH will SET YOU FREE.

• "Then you will know THE TRUTH, and THE TRUTH will SET YOU FREE." ~John 8:32        

We have been incarcerated by counterfeit.  We're trapped by it, shackled and imprisoned by the lies of that thief that Pastor Kevin talked about last week.  The awesome thing is that we don't have to be!

• We don't have to be Trapped
• We don't have to be Shackled
• We don't have to be Imprisoned

You Can Be Free!
And not free for a moment. It's not a parole or time off for good behaviour.  It is complete Freedom given freely when you know THE TRUTH because... "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" ~John 8:36

• NOT COUNTERFEIT FREEDOM - BUT TRUE FREEDOM
• NOT COUNTERFEIT HEALING - BUT TRUE HEAING
• NOT COUNTERFEIT WHOLENESS - BUT TRUE WHOLENESS
• NOT COUNTERFEIT LIFE - BUT LIFE TO THE FULLEST

The whole purpose of a counterfeit is to rob you.  You in good faith thought you had the real thing, but you were being robbed.  When you get to know the Truth, you don't have to settle for counterfeit any longer.

CHALLENGE:  Down through the ages many people have been asking the same question Herod asked Jesus in John 18:38: “What is truth?”  In today’s message, Pastor Austin answers this ever-popular question by breaking down ‘The Truth’ from the New Testament scriptures.  We quickly discover that in order to know truth, we need a benchmark or standard.  Jesus is the standard of ‘Truth’ because Jesus is the Truth.  We must compare anything proclaiming to be truth with The Truth, the Living Word of God, our standard.  When you have a relationship with Jesus, you have The Truth living inside of you.  You have access to and can draw on this gift of Truth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Why Jesus Is The Greatest Gift Ever! (PT 1)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~John 10:10

1. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…

'Thief' means 'burglar or pick-pocket, kleptomaniac'

He wants to depleat you so he can defeat you!  He wants you to feel hopeless and helpless.  But it's time for the thief to stop givin' you grief!  He's been exposed and it's time for the thief to re-pay seven-fold!

So what's the point of Christmas?

• Isn't it like every other holiday?
• Isn't it just about gifts? 

2. Jesus Christ has come to give LIFE!

The enemy wants to destroy you but Jesus wants to deploy you!  No more strife - Jesus came to give you life!  And 'Life' means 'absolute fullness, complete joy, strength and satisfaction'

The natural present will wear out but Jesus' gift of love will never wear out!  He wants to bring you a life that is absolutely FULL!

COMPLETE JOY - “…in your presence there is fullness of joy…” ~Psalm 16:11

'Fullness of Joy' means 'completely satisfied in God'

STRENGTH – "I can do everything through him who gives me strength"  ~Phil 4:13

He will give you the strength you need to succeed!

SATISFACTION - "With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation" ~Psalm 91:16

'To the Full' means 'not just to the top, but overflowing, superfluous, having a surplus'

GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU TO RUN DRY –

HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU A CONTINUAL SUPPLY

CHALLENGE:  The Christmas season is quickly approaching and with it, the annual and very predictable shopping trips to buy gifts for those we care about.  In today’s message, Pastor Kevin points us back to the Greatest Gift ever given.  Jesus truly is the reason… not just for the season, but also for our ability to have eternal life, life more abundantly.  His is truly the gift that keeps on giving!  Giving JOY; Giving STRENGTH; Giving SATISFACTION.  Jesus is the gift of LIFE!  Christmas is the most opportune time to give this gift of Life to everyone you know.  If you don’t have this Gift of Life, today you can have Him.  Just let Jesus know you’d like to receive His Gift and you will have it.  If you already have this great Gift of Life, remember to share it; to pass it on to those around you.  Jesus is the only gift you can actually ‘re-gift’ and still get to keep for yourself!

MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 8)

The New Testament Gives Us Some Very Important Principles About Money:

1. Our Faith and our Finances are Connected

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

2. Giving Faithfully Transfers our Trust from Wealth to God

Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."

• Wealth means abundance of riches and possessions
• Poverty means lack or insufficiency

3. A Change of Money Attitude Reflects a Change of Heart
   Attitude

Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Acts 4: 32-35 - All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

4. Tithing is the starting block on the Journey of Generous Giving

The tithe is a way to get us started on the path of Christian giving It is not the finish line of giving, but only the starting blocks.

MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 7)

Tithing is a powerful principle found in the Bible from Beginning to
End:

• Abraham COMMENCED it ~Gen. 14:18-20
• Jacob CONTINUED it ~Gen. 28:20-22
• Moses CONFIRMED it ~Lev. 27:30
• Malachi COMMANDED it ~Mal. 3:8-10
• Jesus COMMENDED it ~Matt. 23:23
• God COMMISSIONED it ~1 Cor. 9:13-14
• Paul CONFIRMED it ~1 Cor. 16:2

THE TESTIMONY OF THE TITHER

1. Tithing makes your Money HOLY and not your POCKETS
   HOLEY!

Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm.  Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! ~Haggai 1:4-6

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. ~Lev. 27:30

HOLY means 'set apart TO God and blessed BY God'

When we give the 10th God will BLESS the REST

2.  It is a CONNECTION to God’s PROTECTION

Abraham's tithe was NOT a REQUIREMENT from GOD - BUT A RECOGNITION OF GOD and A RESPONSE TO GOD.

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying , Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Shield means 'protection and defender'.

God says in Mal 9:11 "I will prevent pests from devouring your crops…"

Prevent means 'to restrain, to set a guard to deter'

3.  It is God’s Strategy for Prosperity

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Blessing means 'Benefits, gifts, the favour of God ';

MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 6)

Tithing is through the entire Bible

• Abraham COMMENCED it – Gen 14:18-20
• Jacob CONTINUED it – Gen 28:20-22
• Moses CONFIRMED it – Lev 27:30
• Malachi COMMANDED it – Mal 3:8-10
• Jesus COMMENDED it – Matt 23:23
• God COMMISSIONED it – 1 Cor 9:13-14
• Paul CONFORMED it – 1 Cor 16:2

PROMISES OF PROVERBS: 11:24-25
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Responsibility: GIVE FREELY ~v. 24

GIVE means to distribute or share

FREELY means without hesitation

Reward: GAINS MORE

Gains More refers to BLESSINGS - both material and spiritual

WHEN I GIVE FREELY….I AM TRUSTING GOD’S ECONOMY

Character: GENEROUS ~v.25

Generous means a person who willingly and liberally gives

Reward: PROSPER

Prosper means satisfied and abundantly filled in ALL areas

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously ~2 Cor 9:6

WHAT IS THE BASE FOR THIS TYPE OF GIVNG:

1. Our DETERMINATION
2. Our MOTIVATION

Our MOTIVE for giving our tithe and our offering comes down to 2 simple things:

• Love – for GOD
• Obedience – to GOD

RESULTS:

1. GRACE ABOUNDS ~2 Cor 9:8

Our OWN needs

MORE than enough: for every good work ~Eph 4:28

2. MADE RICH IN EVERY WAY ~2 Cor 9:11

Purpose: Generous on EVERY Occasion

 

"Tithe if you love Jesus - any fool can honk."

MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 5)

Tithing is a practice that is not limited to the Old or New Covenants, but instead is a Part of God's order for humanity.

WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT TITHING: "It’s central in God's system to deal with Money and the Issues of the Heart.  It's an indicator of Obedient Faith and Releases the Blessing of God" ~Kevin Begley

THE BOTTOM LINE: Our use of Money and attitude towards it, will impact our life Now and in Eternity!

WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT OUR GIVING? ~Luke 16:10-15

"That which I spend is gone when I'm dead but that which I give is sent on ahead" ~KB

1. Jesus said: IF YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH LITTLE, YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH MUCH

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ~vs. 10

THE CONNECTION:  faithful with little – faithful with much.  This text is about MONEY: not Time or Talents.

TRUSTED means entrusted, depended upon to do the right thing.

Even when it's tight, you've got to do what's right!

2. Jesus said: HOW YOU HANDLE MONEY IS AN INDICATOR OF HOW YOU HANDLE 'TRUE RICHES'

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? ~vs. 11-12

THE COMPARISON:  Worldly Wealth vs. True Riches

3. Jesus said:  YOU CANT SERVE TWO MASTERS: MONEY IS A MASTER, GOD IS A MASTER! WHO WILL YOU SERVE?

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ~vs. 13

The CONFRONTATION:  It's ONE or the OTHER - God or Money.

MASTER means the owner who has control of the person's decisions

• Money will lose it's value but Jesus will never lose its value.   
  
  
• Money has to be earned but Jesus love is always free!        
  
  
• Money can bring worry but Jesus brings peace.       

HATE means to love less

4. Jesus said: A WARNING TO THE RELIGIOUS (with bible knowledge):

The CAUTION: Loving Money will give us the wrong attitude

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering. ~vs. 14

1. Jesus said: some religious people (even some leaders) LOVE MONEY

LOVED means greedy, wanting more than they currently have

Love God and Use Money - Don't love money and use God!

2. Jesus said: some religious MOCKED Him.

SNEERING means to turn up their noses at

5. Jesus said: GOD KNOWS YOUR HEART

He said to them, 'You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.' ~vs. 15

MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 4)

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message after reading the blog today.

So … That Leads Us To The BIG QUESTION:

A.   WHAT’S THE POINT OF TITHING?

    1.      An ACT of Obedience to God and His Word

·      Abraham COMMENCED it – Gen. 14:18-20

·      Jacob CONTINUED it – Gen. 28:20-22

·      Moses CONFIRMED it – Lev. 27:30

·      Malachi COMMANDED it – Mal. 3:8-10

·      Jesus COMMENDED it – Mat. 23:23

·      God COMMISSIONED it – 1 Cor. 9:13-14

·      Paul CONFORMED it – 1 Cor. 16:2

By our Obedience with Tithing, we are acknowledging:

·      We Trust God . . .

·      I acknowledge that He is My Source

By Tithing, I acknowledge that GOD OWNS EVERYTHING

    2.      An ATTITUDE to Assist us in Keeping our Priority in the Proper Order

“Love of Money” is root of ALL Evil~1 Tim 6:10

MONEY is not the problem – it’s our ATTITUDE about money that causes all kinds of problems.

The wrong attitude about money produces the wrong priorities with money

    3.      ADVANCES the Kingdom of God Mal 3:10

GOD’s CHURCH WILL THRIVE, WHEN WE GIVE OUR TITHE

NOT ONLY does the Church Thrive but tithing is also…

    4.      An AVENUE for God to meet your needs  Matt 6:33

When we come to the end of our resources, God steps in with HIS resources

    5.      Teaches us NOT to be Selfish

Selfishness is opposed to the very Nature and Character of God ~ACTS 20:35

    6.      It’s a DNA Test  ~Jhn. 3:16

KEY word:  GAVE a word that is repeated over and over in the Bible

    7.      Attacks and Releases God’s Multiplied Blessing   Mal 3:10

“I RELEASE THIS MONEY FREELY AND GOD MULTIPLIES IT EXCEEDINGLY”

B.    HOW SHOULD I PRESENT MY TITHE?  ~2 Cor. 9:6-12

a)   CHEERFULLY

-        CHEERFULLY means hilarious or boisterously joyful

b)   FREELY (not grudgingly or under compulsion)

-        FREELY means purposefully choosing

-        GRUDGINGLY means reluctance or unwillingness

-        COMPULSION means unduly pressured, not of free choice

c)    WITH A SENSE OF JOY AND LOVE

See and hear this amazing message of truth at:

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MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 3)

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message after reading the blog today.

"But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every [little] herb, but disregard and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone."
~Luke 11:42

"Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine."
~Prov. 3:9-10

This verse could read like this... "Honour and respect the Lord with your:
Possessions, what you currently have AND with First Fruits, the first part of ALL your income and ALL your revenue.  SO… your barns will be filled with PLENTY, and your vats will overflow…"

WHAT DID JESUS SAY?
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees.  Hypocrites!  For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law -- justice, mercy, and faith. YOU SHOULD TITHE, YES, but you should not leave undone the more important things.” ~Matthew 23:23

This word OUGHT – is a powerfully significant word that is “a moral imperative”.

Moral Imperative means “something that must happen because it is the right thing.”

This means that tithing is a practice that goes beyond the Old or New covenants;

• It is a Part of Gods order for humanity.
• Tithing isn’t something that wasjust for a specific time or culture

TITHING IS PART OFGOD'S PROCESS TO BLESS!

WHAT DID JESUS PROMISE?
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” ~Luke 6:38

Good Measure means "a generous portion".

See and hear this amazing message of truth at:

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MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT 2)

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"Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine."
~Prov. 3:9-10

This verse could read like this... "Honour the Lord with your:
Possessions, what you currently have AND with First Fruits, first part of ALL your income and ALL your revenue.  SO… your barns will be filled with PLENTY, and your vats will
overflow…"

KEY: Tithing is the TAP that opens the Spout, for God to Pour Provision Out

God has a reservoir of blessing – provision and protection for your life - BUT TITHING is the Tap that can turn on the abundance of Gods reservoir.

God tells us HOW MUCH to Give:

• WHOLE 10%

God tells us WHERE to Give:

• Bring it to HIS HOUSE
  *His House is local church where you are getting cared for

God tells us WHY to Give:

• so He can get involved with our finances       

TEST means to “try it to see the results”

God Tells Us HOW To Give:

1. IMMEDIATELY give to GOD FIRST ~2 Chron. 31:5
2. FAITHFULLY – keep on giving ~1 Cor. 16:2

"Whether a little or whether alot -
I will give God the first of what I've got!"

3. CHEERFULLY – tithers don’t give grudgingly they give cheerfully (hilariously)  ~2 Corinthians 9:7

God Tells Us WHAT HAPPENS When We Give:

• God opens up His RESERVOIR of PROVISION & PROTECTION
  
• Pests – that which is annoying or troublesome, eats up our provision and profit
• Crops – represents the result of labour
• God promises to prevent those annoying troublesome things from eating up the results of our labour.

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MAXIMIZING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL (PT1)

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1. Financial Priority

"Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine."
~Prov. 3:9-10

This verse could read like this... "Honour the Lord with your:
Possessions, what you currently have AND with First Fruits, first part of ALL your income and ALL your revenue."

2 STEPS In GIVING TO GOD:

1. Obedient Giving – Our tithe (The first 10% of everything we earn)
2. Generous Giving – Our offering

• TITHING is simply returning the 10% of my income to God
• GENEROSITY is giving to him above the 10% - giving from our possessions

"But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also Excel in this Grace of Giving."
~2 Corinthians 8:7

OBEDIENT AND GENEROUS GIVING,
PRODUCES PROSPEROUS LIVING

There are 2 RESULTS for LIVING

1. Barns will have Plenty – Barns are for your future – saving/ giving
2. Vats will Overflow – what your work produces – your work will be blessed

2. Root Financial Problem

"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has." ~Prov. 21:20

'Devours' means "consumes quickly and without thought."

We don’t have a wealth problem, we have a spending problem!

1. We need to be MORE THANKFUL for what we HAVE
2. We need to be MORE RESPONSIBLE for what we DO with it

PART of that PROCESS is to challenge us

NOT to be CONSUMERS but to BE GIVERS!

We think twice about giving and once about spending.  We need to turn that around and think once about giving and twice about spending!

• We don’t want to be THOUGHTLESS SPENDERS
• We want to be THOUGHTFUL GIVERS

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS to ask ourselves:

1. IS THIS PURCHASE PRACTICAL RIGHT NOW?
2. WILL THIS PURCHASE IMPACT MY ABILITY TO GIVE GENEROUSLY THIS WEEK?

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
~2 Corinthians 9:11

You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing!

• Give Generously
• Spend Carefully
• Live Wisely

3. Financial Potential

How to Walk in Your MAXIMIZED Financial Potential 

• focus and work hard ~Prov. 10:4
• be loyal and faithful ~Prov. 3:3
• live for God and love others ~Prov. 21:21
• be honest ~Prov. 28:10
• be willing to receive instruction from GOD and others ~Prov. 16:20
• positive attitude and actions ~Prov. 4:23

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HE OWNS IT ALL!

Prov. 11:25 “The generous prosper & are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

1. God’s Primary Principle For Financial Prosperity is Generosity

   1. Generosity is Giving Freely

2. Why God Wants You Prosperous

REFRESH means “To help fulfill the needs of others.”

God Wants You Be Prosperous: 

1. For Others:

• Meet their Spiritual Needs – to give generously to the Lord – to tell others about Jesus
• Meet their Physical Needs – to see a need and meet it ~Phil 4:15-16

When you give generously, you need to also give anonymously

2. For Us: (will himself be refreshed – have our needs met & be satisfied)

• When we look after others, God looks after us;
  • What We Need: Daily Provision (2 Cor. 9:8);
• When You’re Generous You Will Not Lack;
  • What We Want: Desires of our Heart (Mark 11:24, Ps 37:4);

WHEN YOU GIVE WITH THE RIGHT HEART YOU CANNOT LOSE!!!

Today's service has been archived for your viewing pleasure at www.kbmlive.tv.

BIBLICAL INSTRUCTION To Live in Greater Prosperity

God will not violate his word to accomplish something in your life.  He wants to keep you out of a mess and set you up for success!
There are caution signs for things that hold us back and keep us in lack.  Here are some things to avoid in order to live in greater prosperity:

1. Loving Pleasure - Prov. 21:17 Those who love pleasure become poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches.  Buy now - Pay later; it will hold you back and keep you in lack!
2. Talk - Prov. 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  Idle chatter - all talk and no action. - Idle talk will hold you back and keep you in lack!
3. Laziness - Prov. 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. 
4. Being Stingy - Prov. 11:24 It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
5. Get-Rich-Quick - Prov. 28:22 Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to poverty.

WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE?
Some of our life issues are only symptoms or results of wrong root issues in our life and some life issues are through no fault of our own!
CRUCIAL QUESTION:
When do I need to change?  When do I need to hold on?

1. One is STUBBORN (sin)
2. One is FAITH (righteous)

To hold on and stay the course when we need to change will trap us in poverty. BUT to give up when God is preparing us will limit our future full-life prosperity!
Wrong Reasons to Change our Action:

• Fear: outcome OR others perception
• Pressure: from friends OR family
• Problems: "My life would be easier"
• People: "They are holding back my blessing"
• Potential Prosperity: "Show me the money"

HOW DO WE STOP OURSELVES FROM MAKING THE WRONG DECISIONS

We must be Led by:

• His Word - not the World
• Faith - not Fear
• His Spirit - not by Flesh

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HOW DO WE GET & STAY OUT OF DEBT?

Don't pacify your flesh - get God's true peace!  God has given us his word so that we can avoid pitfalls.

• "Let the Lord be magnified, who takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants." ~Psalm 35:27
• "And the Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children." ~Psalm 115:14,15
• "You will make your way prosperous and have good success." ~Joshua 1:8
• "My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:19
• "I pray that you would prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." ~3 John 1:2

If We Are Not Careful, Our Practices Can Get In The Way Of God's Promises!

“The rich rules over the poor and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” ~Proverbs 22:7

SLAVE means 'one who works for a master to whom he belongs'

Most of us have a 'Rat Race' mentality.  There is a bumper sticker that says, 'I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I go!'  We don't purposefully do it, but we borrow and become slaves.  We borrow for our car, for our house, etc.  We become like a dog on a chain and the lender pulls us wherever they want.  Most people borrow with the full intention of paying it back; but things always come up and we end up going

deeper into debt.

"Debt Doesn't Keep You From having Eternal Life, But It Will Keep You From Experiencing Abundant Life!"

DEBT WILL:

• Limit what you can do for God
• Slow down the pursuit of your destiny
• Keep you up at night with worry

"It was for freedom that Christ has set us free" ~Galatians 1:5

DEBT IS A YOKE (A BURDEN, A WEIGHT) THAT WILL KEEP YOU BROKE!!!

HOW DO WE GET & STAY OUT OF DEBT?
1. Be Patient ~James 1:4

• Don't be a slave for what you crave!
• Wait for what you want

2. Trust God More ~Philippians 4:19

• Work hard
• Live within your means
• Don't spend what you don't have

3. Be Content ~Philippians 4:12

• Less Money is Spent When We Are Content

4. Have a Plan ~Proverbs 21:5

Practical Plan:

• STOP Spending
• START Paying
• CONTINUE Giving

 Today's service has been archived for your viewing pleasure at www.kbmlive.tv.

HOW to Perpetuate a Prosperous Life

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
~Prov. 11:28

1. Refuse to Trust in Riches

There is a huge difference between HAVING Riches and TRUSTING in Riches
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

• To Have: means you posses something
• To Trust: means you depend on something
• To Have: means you obtained it for your use
• To Trust: means you obtained it for your security
• To Have: implies a “loose hold” on it
• To Trust: implies a “tight grip” on it

There are a FEW HITCHES to TRUSTING IN RICHES:

• Hitch #1 – Money can disappear ~Prov. 23:5
• Hitch #2 – Money Can’t Buy HAPPINESS ~Eccl. 5:10
• Hitch #3 – Money can cause you to miss true prosperity ~Prov. 16:20

FALL= “to be caught in a trap”

• Money is Unstable – God Never Changes
• Money can come & go – God is Always There
• Money brings satisfaction for a moment – God brings Joy & Happiness
  for a Lifetime!

2. Choose to Trust in God & His Way

Righteous means "doing our best to live right according to God’s Word"

• Righteousness is NOT Perfection
• Righteousness is DOING YOUR BEST to obey God
• Righteousness is following God’s Process and Expecting Success!

It is choosing to live:

• In humility rather than pride
• In integrity rather than dishonesty
• In generosity rather than greed
• In Godliness rather than Selfishness

Thrive means "to flourish to be prosperous, superabundant"

Trusting God

WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT WHEN:

• We show Loyalty and Kindness
  • GOD gives us Favour and a Good Reputation
• We pursue Godliness and Love
  • GOD gives us Life, Prosperity and Honour
• We have humility and Fear the Lord
  • GOD gives us Riches, Honour and Long Life

GOD DOES NOT LEAVE US BUT HE LEADS US TO A PROSPEROUS LIFE

1.    DO Trust in the Lord and Acknowledge Him ~Prov. 3:5

Trust  means "to have complete confidence in"

-        EVEN when you feel like you're in the dark and don't know what's next - TRUST GOD

-        EVEN when everything is turned around - TRUST GOD

-        EVEN when life feels overwhelming - TRUST GOD

-        EVEN when you're a bit confused - TRUST GOD

God never changes!  You can trust Him!  But how do we trust God?

-        Pray: ask him to show you

-        Get godly counsel: different from you friend’s opinion

-        Do it the way the Word says: NOT the way the world says

“There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.” ~Proverbs 14:12

·         DO NOT Depend on your own understanding

·         DO NOT Trust in your LIMITED UNDERSTANDING

·         DO TRUST in HIS LIMITLESS KNOWLEDGE

RESULT:  He will direct your path

Direct means "make smooth or level out"

2.    DO NOT be impressed with your own wisdom

Understanding - is about our learning.  What we've learned before.

Wisdom - is about our life experience.  What we've done before.

DO be impressed with God

RESULTS will be:  HEALTH AND VITALITY

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Wisdom For Making Right Choices

God has been teaching us some Powerful Life Principles from Proverbs.  Over the last number of weeks we’ve been looking at characteristics that the scripture pairs together, that will produce a prosperous life.

We have discovered that when...

• We show Loyalty and Kindness - there’s a boomerang of blessing
  
  • GOD gives us Favour and a Good Reputation
  
  
• We pursue Godliness and Love
  
  • GOD gives us Life, Prosperity and Honour
  
  
• We Pay Attention to Instruction and Put our Trust in God
  
  • GOD gives us Prosperity and Happiness

From Last week we see that…

• True HUMILITY and FEAR of the Lord LEAD to RICHES, HONOUR AND LONG LIFE

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck ~Prov. 3:21-22

2 Principles to Making the Right Choices:

1. Make Good Decisions - Not Quick Decisions
   
   Sound Judgment  means effective wisdom
   
   Our Personal Philosophy: If this is God – I can do my Due Diligence
   
   STEPS FOR DUE DILIGENCE:

Make sure it lines up with the Word; is there anything that goes against God’s word? If so, then STOP right there; you don’t have to go any further!

Pray and ask God to give His wisdom and direction;

Godly counsel; ask those who you know have godly wisdom in this area.

Word to the Wise: Fools Rush In

2. Knowing What to Do - NOT Guessing what to do
   
   Discernment means to recognize or perceive a situation clearly

The #1 problem in making a bad decision is Being Fooled By Your Emotions

Word to the Wise: Don’t be Led by Emotions

GOD WILL LEAD YOU TO A PROSPEROUS LIFE

WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT WHEN…

• We show Loyalty and Kindness
  • GOD gives us Favour and a Good Reputation
• We pursue Godliness and Love
  • GOD gives us Life, Prosperity and Honour
• We Pay attention to Instruction and Put our Trust in God
  • GOD gives us Prosperity and Happiness

True HUMILITY and FEAR of the Lord LEAD to RICHES, HONOUR AND LONG LIFE - Prov. 22:4

GOD WILL LEAD YOU TO A PROSPEROUS LIFE

If you want what God offers, you've got to get there God's way

1. TRUE HUMILITY

If there is TRUE HUMILITY then there must be such thing as FALSE HUMILITY.  False Humility is a subtle form of pride!  So what is True humility?  It is  holding others in high esteem, rather than ourselves.  Humility relates to the ATTITUDE that we have:

• Toward Ourselves
• Toward Others

Me and Mine is a sign of immaturity... Humility is a sign of maturity – because it’s not about me!  Think modestly about yourself and extravagantly about others!

2. FEAR OF THE LORD

FEAR IS a distressed emotion such as anxiety, terror or panic.  But…that’s NOT the kind of Fear this text is talking about.  Fear of the Lord is an awe, a reverence a great respect.  We don’t Need to be FEARFUL, we need to be RESPECTFUL. The Fear of the Lord is Paramount to Produce a Prosperous Life!  Respect for God will propel you toward your Destiny of Greatness!  The fear of the Lord will produce benefits in our lives:

• Knowledge - Prov. 1:7
• Wisdom - Prov. 9:10
• Lengthens your Life - Prov. 10:27
• SECURE and a Fountain of life - Prov. 14:26,27
• Rest Content - Prov. 19:23
• RICHES, HONOUR AND LONG LIFE - Prov. 22:4

When you are truly humble, you will be blind-sided by God's blessing!

See the service again for the first time at:

 http://www.kbmlive.tv!