Keys to Kingdom Economy – Generosity vs. Greed III
Hillcrest Church, Sunday, February 22, 2009
Text
" 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich 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 9:6-11 NIV)
Introduction / Review
God's economy is based on stewardship instead of ownership.
God's economy involves the supernatural as well as the natural.
God's economy is characterized by abundance instead of lack.
God's economy operates by faith instead of fear.
God's economy results in generosity instead of greed.
God's pathway to prosperity
My journey will take time.
My journey will take time.
My journey will help me grow.
The Israelites were told to never forget:
- Where they came from (Egypt)
- How they got there (through the desert by God's direction, protection – scorpions, snakes, and provision-manna and water.)
- Who it is that brought them there (the Lord your God and not you!)
- What they were– (sons who inherited a covenant but who sometimes still needed discipline)
"5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. " (Deuteronomy 8:5 NIV)
My journey will benefit others.
My journey will bring God glory.
- It will demonstrate God's faithfulness ("confirm His covenant")
- It will give me a testimony to share with others that will inspire them to trust, obey, and worship God.
"18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV)
God's Kingdom economy results in generosity vs. greed
From the time God revealed Himself to Abraham, this has been central to everything He has done for anyone in the human family.
His blessings are never JUST about us. They are always ALSO about others.
We are "blessed to be a blessing…!"
" The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."" (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)
God cares just as much about the economic well being of others as He does about my economic well being.
Three things to remember that will help us keep this in perspective:
God grants me prosperity through His grace.
God does not prosper us because we are better than others…!
The journey He takes us on from our "Egypt," our "land of not enough," to our "Canaan," our "land of more than enough," through our "desert," our "land of more than enough," will be tailor designed by Him to help us always remember that we sometimes fail God.
God was very explicit in saying through Moses that the Israelites were given the Promised Land because of the inhabitant's sin, not because of their own righteousness…!
"4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.
5 It is not because of your
righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. 7 Remember this and NEVER FORGET how you
provoked the Lord your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord." (Deuteronomy 9:4-7, NIV)
"6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 7:6-9, NIV)
Never think when God prospers you than your friends or exalts above your peers that He loves you more than them or that you have some kind of special "dispensation of His grace."
God establishes the parameters of my prosperity according to His sovereign plan for my life.
The Israelites were not given everyone's land, only that belonging to certain peoples, who were coming under God's judgment after an extended period of time.
"17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High
[two kings representing two kingdoms and two economies – Abraham had to choose which one he would deem most important…!], 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek before he tithed and whether or not he tithed, but God then added an extra blessing because he tithed…!] 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your SHIELD, your VERY great REWARD."
Be sure and note this new level of relationship between God and Abraham…and cross reference with God's promise in Malachi…!
God now said that He would be Abraham's:
SHIELD (literally, "sovereign" in Hebrew, i.e., "Lord") – PROTECTION – "…rebuke the devourer…"
VERY great reward – PROSPERITY – "…open the windows of heaven…"
… 2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him OUTSIDE
and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the Lord said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." " (Genesis 14:17-15:21 NIV)
We must keep this in mind as we believe God for an "end-time" transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous. The word, "wicked," is a very strong word. I do not believe it means those who sin in ignorance, but, rather, those who sin with full knowledge of what their actions mean..
"22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous." (Proverbs 13:22 NIV)
"22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." (Proverbs 13:22 KJV)
This promise was never meant to cause us to have a cavalier or covetous attitude toward those who do not know the Lord.
We should have the heart of Jesus toward even the wicked. Concerning the men who were nailing Him to the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)"
We must always remember: "The same God who took it away from others because of their wickedness can take it away from us if we walk in wickedness…!"
"17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. 19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God. " (Deuteronomy 8:17-20, NIV)
One very sobering passage in Scripture is found during the life of Moses when God's patience ran out with the Israelites and He told Moses, "Get out of my way. I will destroy this people and make a new one out of you…!"
"7 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' 9 "I have seen these people," the Lord said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." 11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. "O Lord," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.' " 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." (Exodus 32:7-14 NIV)
"6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." 13 Moses said to the Lord, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them." (Numbers 14:6-13 NIV)
As Jesus put it,
"8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." (Luke 3:8 NIV, also Matthew 3:9)
God determines how much is "enough" for each one of us. Every tribe had its assigned place and space in the land, etc, chosen by God in advance.
That is the lesson from the Apostle Paul:
"
10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:10-13, NIV)
Proverbs echoes this same sentiment:
"8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient
["of my allotment"] for me: 9 Lest I be full["have too much" NIV], and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." (Proverbs 30:8-9 KJV)
"8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." (Proverbs 30:8-9 NIV)
God never intends for my prosperity to result in someone else's poverty.
They were specifically told not to plunder certain tribes.
Abraham had been told not to accept wealth from certain sources that would take away from God's glory and now God told them not to plunder the descendants of Esau, etc.
" Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. 2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 "You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: 'You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will NOT GIVE YOU any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.' "" (Deuteronomy 2:1-6, NIV)
"9 Then the Lord said to me, "Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession." … 16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 "Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot."" (Deuteronomy 2:9-19, NIV)
"36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills. " (Deuteronomy 2:36-37, NIV)
According to Paul at the Areopagus, God has established the boundaries of every ethnic group.
"22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! … 26 From one man he [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:22-27, NIV)
In a certain sense, the original sin of Satan was to aspire to more than God had destined him for…!
