Sermon Tone Analysis

!!! “FINANCIAL FREEDOM IN 2009”

*(Part 5)*

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Since the beginning of the year I have been ministering regarding your finances.

I believe that God wants you to experience financial freedom in spite of the economy.

Our trust is in the Lord not in Washington D.C.

 

God has made us stewards over all that is His.

Everything belongs to God.

 

1.

*FAITHFULNESS** is what God desires and faith is all that will PLEASE God.*

 

Are you living by faith?

I closed last week with the following statements:  I would not risk the curse of God for one penny, but the blessings of God are worth every dime.

*Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) * 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

*James 1:3-4 (KJV) * 

Knowing /this,/ that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4But let patience have /her/ perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Your faith is being tried, tested.

Now when it is proved you will be complete, whole, lacking no good thing.

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2. *Your FAITH is being TRIED, when it is PROVED you will be COMPLETE, WHOLE, LACKING no good THING.*

We are in the midst of a great trial.

A trial of proving whether or not we will trust the Lord.

I am always amazed of how is it that Christians can trust God for their eternity but refuse or cannot trust God to take care of them and their families for the temporal?

By not trusting God they take or rob what is God’s and consequently bring about a curse in their life.

Today it’s time to break that curse.

*Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV) * 

My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; 2for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

3Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, 4/and/ so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.

8It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

3.

*HONOR** the LORD with your POSSESSIONS, and with the FIRSTFRUITS of all your INCREASE.*

This is the promise of God to you.

It begins by honoring God.

And when we don’t thank Him by honoring Him with our firstfruits we are bringing a curse into every area of our life.

Let’s break those strongholds those curse in our life that affect our finances, our marriages, and our children.

It’s an area people don’t like to deal with and consequently fall under its effect.

But one verse out of every six in the New Testament deals with this subject.

Therefore it must be important.

*Matthew 6:19-21*

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21For where your *treasure* is, there your heart will be also.

[NKJV]

 

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*Isaiah 55:2*

Wherefore do ye spend money for /that which is/ not *bread*?

and your *labour* for /that which/ satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye /that which is/ good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

[KJV]

 

What is true treasure?

Obviously it’s not money, gold, lands, or material things.

We can’t box them up and send them on ahead to wait for us when we get to heaven.

Thus true treasure must not be about material but about spiritual.

Therefore the matters that concern us are heart issues.

“Where your heart is.”

4. *True TREASURE is about HEART issues.*

*Malachi 3:8-12*

"Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!

But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?'

In tithes and offerings.

9You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, /Even/ this whole nation.

10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you /such/ blessing That /there will/ not /be room/ enough /to receive it./

11"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the Lord of hosts; 12"And all nations will call you blessed,

For you will be a delightful land," Says the Lord of hosts.

[NKJV]

 

We have a problem!!!

 

Tithing is not a financial problem it is a spiritual problem.

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5. *TITHING** is not a FINANCIAL problem it is a SPIRITUAL problem.

*

 

One out of every six verses in the New Testament deals with stewardship.

Money is mentioned six times more than baptism and sixty times more than the Lord’s Supper.

The term “virgin birth” is mentioned only two times, “missions” ten times, while the word “tithing” is used twenty-two times, excluding the words “offerings” and “givings.”

Jesus Himself mentioned the term “tithing” only once, likewise He only said once “you must be born again.”

But no one can doubt the principles of either were an essential part of what He ministered.

Our future is uncertain.

The only certainty I have is God and His Word.

So what it boils down to is am I going to trust God with an uncertain future.

Example after example is found throughout scripture of God seeing if the children of Israel were really going to trust Him.

Too often they did not.

And in the world today where people are saying they trust God only about 2% really obey Him when it comes to tithing.

We trust our government more than we do God.

Listen to the words of Malachi.

*Malachi 1:6-14 (NIV) * 

"A son honors his father and a servant his master.

If I am a father, where is the honor due me?

If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty.

"It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.

"But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?'

7"You place defiled food on my altar.

"But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?'

"By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible.

8When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?

When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?

Try offering them to your governor!

Would he be pleased with you?

Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty.

9"Now implore God to be gracious to us.

With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"--says the Lord Almighty.

10"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar!

I am not pleased with you," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.

11My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun.

In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.

12"But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.'