Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we were teaching on *"Activating Our Covenant of Prosperity."*

So let's just pick up right were left off.

*A) *Well, in *2nd Corinthians*, we find *God's plan on how to put your covenant to work* or you could say *how to activate your covenant*.

*1) **2nd Corinthians 9:6-8*.

*(a) *The Word *grace* *in verse eight* *doesn't mean* some feeling of *spiritual goodness* or anything.

*(i) *The *Bible's definition* of *grace* is an *impartation God's power* *and ability in your life*.

*It's God's power taking over where your ability ends*.

*2) **(**2 Corinthians 9:8)* (*Amplified* New Testament) *"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]."*

*(a) **Financial abundance* and *financial freedom* are the *Will of God for your life*.

*(i) **God wants you to be a vessel* through which he causes *financial prosperity to flow*.

*He wants you to be that* *financial avenue* *to get his work done*.

*II) **FULFILL YOUR OBLIGATIONS TO GOD*.

*A) **You have a covenant with God*, but just as *with any* promise or provision in the *covenant*, there are *things you must do* in order *to receive* *and activate the blessings*.

*1) **You have to fulfill your obligations* *in the contract* in order *to experience is prosperity*.

*(a) *There are *certain conditions* you are *required to meet*.

*2) *It's *like* *any other contract* *between two individuals*: *each* person *must do certain things* to *fulfill* the *contract*.

*(a) **Your covenant* *with God* is the *same way*.

*God tells* you in the new covenant, or contract, *what you must do*.

*3) *Let me give you a *list of them*.

*(a) **First*, from *(James 4:8)* which says, *"Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you."*

*(b) **2nd*, from *(Luke 6: 38)* which says, *"Give, and it shall be given unto you."*

*(c) **3rd*, from *(Mark 9:23)* which says, *"All things are possible to him that believeth."*

*B) **There's no such thing* *as a one-sided covenant or contract*, *with God.*

*1) **It's never one-sided* *with God doing everything* for you *and* *you doing nothing* for him.

*You do your part*, *and God will do his*.

*III) *There we have the *three main steps to financial prosperity*.

*A) **First*, *"Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you."*

*1) *That would include *following* after *God* *and* *the Lord*, *seeking Him* *and his Word*, *and keeping his commandments*.

*B) **2nd* he says, *"Give, and it shall be given unto you."*

*1) *That's talking about *giving to the work of God* *and God will multiply back to you*.

(Not just giving him a tip).

*C) *And *No.

3*, *"All things are possible to him that believeth."*

*1) **Faith is essential in believing*, *faith is essential in receiving.*

*2) **(Hebrews 6:12)* says,* "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."*

*(a) **Faith is essential in receiving* *the promises from the contract or covenant*.

*(b) **God wants you prosper*, *but it's going to take for you* *to follow after the Lord and his ways*, *to give so that it can be given to you*, *and believe his Word with all your heart*.

And *then God will begin to open the doors of his financial blessings*.

*(c) **This is an important aspect* of your contract with God that you need to understand.

*(i) **God is waiting on you*.

He has *already* *made* the *first move* when he *sent Jesus*.

¨ *This is true with salvation*.

He *made* the *first move*.

He *sent Jesus*.

Now *you need to do something*.

You had to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

¨ It's *true with healing*.

You *receive it by faith* in God and in his Word.

¨ And it's *true with prosperity*.

*3) **When we talk* *about* *Jesus redeeming us from poverty* *and* *purchasing* for us the *abundant life*, *many don't understand what this really means.*

*(a) *It *doesn't mean* that the *blessings* of God are just going to be *automatic* in your life.

*You still have to do something*.

*(i) *I'm *not* really *talking about* *earning them* *but* more *to* *activate them*.

*(b) *Let me see if I can *explain it this way*.

*Think of the worst sinner* you can, the *vilest person* you know.

*(i) **If that person* were to *die today*, *where would they go?*

Probably, *Hell*.

*Why?*

*(ii) **Didn't* *Jesus* *die* on the cross *to redeem them?* *Didn't he die* *so* their *sins could be washed away?* *Doesn't God care about them?* *Yes*, he did.

*Then why* would he *go to Hell?*

He *never activated* the *covenant*.

*He had to do something*.

And of course, that was to *receive Jesus* as Lord and Savior.

*D) **If* the laws of *prosperity* are *not working* for you *maybe*, it's because *you're not working them*.

*1) **Colossians 1:12-13.*

*(a) *The Word *"HATH"* is obviously the *past tense*.

God is not going to do it someday.

*He has already done it* and he's done it for you.

*2) *The word *"POWER"* in *verse 13* is the Greek word *Exousia*, which *means* *"AUTHORITY*, *JURISDICTION*, or *REALM OF INFLUENCE."*

*3) *God has already delivered you from the power, authority, jurisdiction, and realm of influence of darkness.

*(a) *This *"darkness"* is referring to *Satan*.

*(b) **God has delivered you* *out of the realm of influence of Satan*, who causes poverty.

*E) *The moment you are born-again, you were translated out of the authority of Satan and brought over into a new kingdom, God's kingdom.

*1) *You are *no longer* *part of* the *kingdom of darkness*, *your part of the kingdom of God*.

*(a) **But you still have to work the system* *or* *operate within* the *guidelines* of the system in *order to be prosperous*.

*IV) **God has a system of finance*, an *economic system*, in his kingdom.

*A) **You have to function* *within the principles* that govern *God's economic system* in order *to activate* the *promise of prosperity*.

*B) **Joshua had a covenant with God*, *part of that covenant* *involved success and prosperity*.

*1) **But* *just because* *Joshua* *had* a *covenant* with God *did not mean* *he would* automatically *experience* *prosperity*.

*He had to get into the flow* of *God's system*.

*2) *Look at what God told Joshua in *Joshua 1:8*.

*(a) **Notice* *there was a condition*.

He *had to speak God's Word and meditate* *on it* day and night.

*(i) *The Word *"MEDITATE"* *means*, *"to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak."*

*(ii) **Joshua had to speak the Word* or confess the Word of God *to activate the covenant*.

*(b) **Last half of Joshua 1:8*.

*C) *Let's look at another verse *Psalms 1:1-2.*

*1) **His law* *is the Word*.

*And again*, he *uses* the Word *"MEDITATE,"* which *means*, *"to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak.*"

*2) *Now look at *Psalms 1:3*.

*(a) **You need to delight in God's Word*, *meditate on it* *and speak it* *out loud*.

*Then* *everything you do*, *everything you put your hand to*, *will prosper*.

*3) *We're *not in this world system* any longer, *were in* *God's system*.

*(a) **(ACTS 17:28)* says, *"In Him we live and move and have are being."*

*(i) **Even though Jesus has purchased* for us the right to walk in *covenant* with God, *we still have to fulfill its obligations*.

*(ii) **For instance*, Jesus said in *(Luke 6:38)* *"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom.

(Or life)."*

W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, November 18, 2001 from Marcus Bishop's book entitled, "Our Covenant of Prosperity," From Pp 51 through 55 through 61.