Sermon Tone Analysis

We're going to *continue* our teaching on the *subject of prosperity* being our covenant rights.

Last week we dealt with knowing *prosperity* is the *Will of God*.

Before we go on looking at prosperity being part of the covenant, I want to *pick up where we left off* last time.

Before we cover prosper from the Lord it is *absolutely essential* that we *understand that prosperity is the Will of God.*

*I) **Prosperity* is like *any of the promises of God*.

*A) **(Hebrews 6:12)* says, *"Through faith and patience we inherit the promises."*

*1) **Faith can never rise above the known will of God.*

*2) *You can *never have fa*ith for one of the promises of God *unless* you *know* that you know *it is the* *will of God*.

*B) *So, that's why I said it is absolutely essential that you know prosperity is the will of God for your life.

*II) *In the New Testament, we find where God's Word clearly, without a shadow of doubt, promises financial prosperity as a blessing from God for every believer.

*A) **3 John 2*.

*1) *1st of all it says, *"BELOVED,"* because you are a born-again Christian, this Epistles is God speaking to you.

*2) *He then says, *"Beloved, I wish."*

*(a) *The word *"WISH"* literally means from the *Strong's concordance*, *"to pray to God, the will or wish."*

*(b) *When he says, *"Beloved, I wish."*

He's literally saying, *"It's my will and I pray to God."*

*(i) *Now *(2nd Timothy 3:16)* says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God.

The Greek literally says, *"All scripture is God breathed.”*

*(ii) *Meaning that it is given by the Holy Spirit to man.

*(c) *Meaning that this is not John's desire, will, or prayer.

It is the prayer and the will of the Holy Spirit.

*3) *It is God's will for every believer to prosper.

*(a) *But then *why* are so many *Christians* still *experiencing poverty and lack?*

*(b) *Because they're soul has *not been trained in this truth.*

*(i) *Their *understanding* of the scriptures has *not been renewed to include this promise*.

*(ii) **You will only prosper through God* *in accordance with your understanding of the Word* and your *obedience to that Word.*

*4) *It's *not just having a covenant* with God *that brings* the *blessings*, *but it's your knowledge of the Word*, *Faith in the Word*, and *being a doer of the Word* *that* *releases the blessings*.

*B) *Let's read *3 John 2* again.

(Now listen to this).

*1) **You will only prosper in proportion to the prosperity of your soul,* *or your understanding of the Word of God.*

*(a) *You had to understand that salvation was God's will for you before you could be saved.

*(b) *You had to understand that healing was for you before you were healed.

*(i) *And then you had to receive it.

¨ People are in hell today because they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ when they were told about Him.

¨ Some people are sick and or have died from sickness because they could not give up their traditional religious thinking that the Lord does not heal anymore.

Even though they were told, that Jesus healed today.

*2) *The same is true with financial prosperity.

*(a) *There are many Christians who don't know anything about prosperity being a promise from the Lord.

*(b) *Others have rejected it, thinking it's wrong.

*3) **You will only prosper in accordance to your soul prospering*.

*(a) *Prosperity just like any other provision found in your redemption in God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

*(b) *You have a right to divine prosperity.

It's in the covenant.

*(i) *But before it will ever become a reality in your life you have to become totally convinced that is for you.

*III) **1 John 5:14-15*.

*A) *He says right here *(14)* *"if we ask any thing according to his will*."

*1) *Knowledge of the Will of God is so important for you to have faith in your prayers.

*IV) *Last week I think we looked up *Galatians 3:13*.

But let's turn there again.

*A) *Why did Jesus do this?

*Galatians 3:14*.

*1) **The curse of the law* *involved complete and total separation from God* *and all of his blessings*.

*(a) *It had to do with *death*, *sickness*, *disease*, *depression*, and *oppression*; but it also dealt with the curse of *poverty*.

*2) *You can paraphrase *(Galatians 3:13-14)* this way: *"Jesus redeemed me from poverty so that the blessings of Abraham might come upon me."*

*B) *God made a covenant with Abraham.

*1) *This covenant started when God appeared to Abram and changed his name to Abraham and told him how he would bless him.

*(a) *No matter where Abraham went or what he did, he would prosper because he had made a covenant, or contract, with God.

*(b) *But in this covenant, Abraham also had to promise that he would serve God.

*2) *Jesus bought and paid for you so that you could receive this blessing of Abraham.

*(a) *The Word of God teaches that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of financial poverty or lack just like he has redeemed us from everything else.

*(b) *As a matter of fact, financial prosperity is just as much a part of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as being born-again and wash in his blood.

*C) *In *(Galatians 3:13*) it says, *"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."*

*1) *I just want to spend a few minutes here looking at the "Curse of the Law" which is found in *(Deuteronomy 28)*.

*(a) *1st of all the first five books of the Bible are referred to as *"The Law."*

It's also called the Law of Moses.

*2) **Deuteronomy 28:15*.

*(a) *Let's look at some of the curse that has to do with poverty.

*Deuteronomy 28:33*.

*(b) *This means God's people would be under the financial oppression of another nation, that everything they do would be consumed by others and that they would be unable to enjoy the fruit of their own labors.

*3) *Look at *Deuteronomy 28:38*.

*(a) *This part of the curse tells us how investments will be devoured, bearing no or little increase.

*4) *Let's read *verse 44*.

*(a) *This verse describes God's people being under financial obligation to another person or nation.

*(b) *For us today this would mean being under the dominion of the world's financial system.

And that's part of the curse of the law.

*D) *But *(Galatians 3:13)* says that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which means he has redeemed us from poverty and from the world's dominion over our finances.

*1) *Poverty has never been a part of God's desire for his people.

*(a) *In fact, poverty is contrary to the very nature of our heavenly Father.

Poverty and God just don't go together.

*2) *But let me share with you the definition of the Word *"POOR".*

*(a) *From the *Webster's dictionary*, the word *"poor"* means, *"Lacking*, *less than adequate*, *small in worth*, *inferior in quality or value*, *barren*, *unproductive*, *insufficient*, *unfavorable*, *lacking a normal or adequate supply."*

*3) **Poor or poverty* is a *complete contradiction* of* the Word* of God *and* contrary to the very *nature of God*.

*(a) *Turn to *2nd Corinthians 9:8*.

*(b) *The *Amplified translation* says, *"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].”*

*(i) *God doesn't want you to be poor.

He one should be blessed and to be a blessing to others.

*(c) *In *(John 10:10)* Jesus said, *"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”*

*(i) *But again listen to it from the *Amplified translation.*

*"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”*

*E) *Turn with me to one last scripture, *1st Timothy 6:17*.

*1) **God wants us to be prosperous*, *not so that we trust in riches* *but so that we can enjoy all things* *and* *further the work of the kingdom *of God on this earth.

W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, October 28, 2001 from the book by Marcus Bishop entitled "Our Covenant of Prosperity."

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