Pathway to Life

Making Ends Meet

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: PTL

Program Code: PTL000013A


00:49 Welcome to Pathway to Life, from Phoenix, Arizona.
00:53 - I'm Ginnie, Hakes. - And I'm Jim Hakes.
00:56 And we pastor the host church,
00:59 the Paradise Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church
01:02 here in Phoenix.
01:03 And we want to welcome each and every one of you
01:07 who are participating here in this
01:09 Three Angels Broadcast Network event.
01:13 And we thank you for being with us.
01:15 Tonight we have a new musical guest.
01:18 Lyndon Carriger.
01:21 He will be sharing a beautiful rendition
01:23 of, Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
01:26 A beloved hymn.
01:27 And then Elder Lomacang will be speaking on the topic entitled,
01:33 Making Ends Meet.
01:35 And I think that is a very relevant topic
01:38 for this day and age.
01:39 Before that, let's begin with prayer.
01:41 Gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for bringing us
01:45 back together so that we can open the Bible together
01:48 so that we can study from Your Word to know
01:52 Your plan and purpose for our life.
01:54 And we pray that You will help us from the Scriptures
01:59 to be able to make ends meet better.
02:01 And we pray that You will be with us as we
02:04 enjoy beautiful music.
02:07 Bless us now. And we thank You.
02:10 For we've asked it in Jesus' name.
02:12 Amen.
02:28 Great is Thy faithfulness,
02:33 O God my Father.
02:39 There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
02:51 Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
03:02 As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
03:13 Great is Thy faithfulness.
03:19 Great is Thy faithfulness.
03:24 Morning by morning new mercies I see.
03:36 All I have needed, Thy hands hath provided.
03:47 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
04:00 You give me pardon for sin
04:06 and peace that endureth,
04:12 Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
04:23 strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
04:34 Blessings are mine, with ten thousand beside.
04:46 Great is Thy faithfulness.
04:51 Great is Thy faithfulness.
04:57 Morning by morning new mercies I see.
05:09 All I have needed,
05:14 Thy hands hath provided.
05:22 Great is Thy faithfulness,
05:28 great is Thy faithfulness,
05:35 great is Thy faithfulness,
05:45 Lord, unto me.
06:03 - Can we say amen again? ~ Amen.
06:05 Great is Thy faithfulness.
06:08 Thank you, Lyndon.
06:09 Wasn't that a song of conviction?
06:12 When we talk about God's faithfulness,
06:16 we speak about a God who can be trusted 24 hours a day,
06:20 7 days a week, and through eternity.
06:23 Thank you so much for that message in song.
06:26 Tonight we're talking about making ends meet.
06:30 Let us go to God in prayer.
06:32 Loving Father in heaven, we thank You for the fact that
06:35 You are always faithful.
06:39 There's no one that we can rely on more than You.
06:43 And we thank You tonight, as we open Your Word,
06:45 that Your Holy Spirit will open our hearts
06:49 to impress that thought in our minds of a faithful
06:53 and loving Lord.
06:55 And so give us now, Lord, the wisdom to understand
06:58 that truth that is everlasting,
07:01 and follow Your plan for all of our needs being met.
07:06 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
07:10 I really love this topic.
07:14 Because I and my wife, we are witnesses of God's faithfulness.
07:19 You know, the psalmist David in, I think, Psalm 37:25
07:23 he says, "I once was young, and now I am old.
07:26 And I've never seen the righteous forsaken,
07:31 nor his seed begging for bread."
07:34 When you've been in ministry for more than 30 years
07:36 and been married going on 35,
07:39 you get there because of God's constant faithfulness.
07:44 And in a world today, if you were told that there is someone
07:48 that can guarantee that all of your needs will be supplied,
07:52 and he wants to meet you and wants to provide
07:55 all of your needs from this day forward, would you be excited?
08:01 If you knew of a plan that will never fail,
08:04 and the Lord says, "I want to add your name to the list
08:07 to be on My plan," would you want to be on that plan?
08:11 You see, tonight we're going to talk about making ends meet.
08:13 But not just barely making ends meet.
08:15 Because the apostle Paul is one that was surrounded by
08:19 cultures and philosophies.
08:21 He sat before kings and many lords.
08:24 The apostle Paul knew what it was like to survive on
08:28 prisoners bread, and he ate from tables of delicacies.
08:32 And Paul's testimony was preserved so that tonight
08:37 we could look at his life and recognize that
08:39 God is always faithful.
08:42 Notice the scriptures on the screen tonight.
08:44 Philippians 4:11-13
09:20 What the apostle Paul was saying to us tonight
09:24 is, when you have Jesus, all of your needs will be supplied.
09:31 Not all of your wants.
09:33 Because the Lord does not always answer the prayer
09:37 of those that want what He doesn't want for us.
09:40 As a loving Father who sees the end from the beginning,
09:44 the Lord we serve knows all of our needs.
09:46 And then he says, "Seek first the kingdom of God
09:49 and His righteousness..."
09:52 And how many things?
09:53 "...all these things shall be added unto you."
09:58 He continues in that very same chapter.
10:14 In a world of economic instability, we need to
10:17 know that God will supply our needs.
10:19 In a world of depression and recession,
10:23 we need to know that God will supply all of our needs.
10:26 In a world where stocks rise and fall,
10:29 we need to know tonight that God will supply all our needs.
10:35 This topic excites me because my wife and I, we have been...
10:38 In ministry, there were days in the very beginning...
10:41 And what I have to really prevent myself
10:44 from doing tonight is putting the sermon down
10:47 and testifying for 45 minutes.
10:50 Because I could tell you for the rest of this week
10:53 how God has taken care of these two young people from Brooklyn
10:59 on His credit card.
11:00 Come on somebody, say amen.
11:02 God doesn't need an American Express.
11:05 American Express don't have any credit limit
11:07 that can hold the finances of God.
11:11 Matter of fact, notice how David the psalmist says it.
11:14 He says clearly in Psalm 50:10-12...
11:19 How many beasts?
11:21 Who do you know that can say that?
11:31 It's okay when God boasts, because He's my Father.
11:34 I don't mind when my Father will tell it like it is.
11:39 Who do you know that knows all the birds of the mountains?
11:48 "If I were hungry..."
11:51 I've got to pause there.
11:52 "If I were hungry," God is saying...
12:03 If you got in a plane and looked to your left,
12:05 your left and to your right,
12:08 if you looked to the north and to the south,
12:10 to the east and to the west,
12:11 from the glaciers of the far north to the ice caps
12:14 of the far south, all the equator,
12:17 everywhere our eyes can see, nothing would be there
12:22 if it were not for God.
12:23 Can you say amen tonight?
12:25 So God doesn't have any problem with providing our need.
12:29 There is nothing under the sun that does not belong to God.
12:33 You know why? He spake, and it was done.
12:35 He commanded, and it stood fast.
12:38 And He did it all in six days.
12:41 He continues in the psalm.
12:44 Psalm 24:1-2
13:00 So when we think about God, sometimes you've got to pause
13:04 and just think about God.
13:06 Not what He has, but who He is.
13:09 I mean, think about God.
13:12 My wife and I have had the privilege of
13:13 meeting famous people.
13:15 People that have stuff.
13:17 People that can write checks, and while they're writing
13:20 the check, the amount they wrote it for has already
13:22 been replenished.
13:25 We know folk.
13:28 But I don't know anybody that can say what David the psalmist
13:31 just wrote about our Lord.
13:35 I know you're so overwhelmed you can't even get it out.
13:41 So when you meet somebody...
13:43 I remember one gentleman who has a friend that is a millionaire.
13:47 And he's involved in prison ministry.
13:49 I won't tell his name.
13:51 He's always a hilarious guy, but he serves the Lord with fervor.
13:54 And he's well up in years.
13:55 He says, "In about 13 more years I'll be 100,
13:58 and I'm still going."
14:00 But he has a friend that's a millionaire.
14:01 And his friend once said to him, he says,
14:03 "Why is it that you never ask me for money?"
14:05 He said, "Why should I ask you?
14:07 I ask the owner, not the steward."
14:11 Amen?
14:13 Because some folk will be stingy and they want
14:15 you to come to them and grovel, "Please help me."
14:19 When my wife and I get on our knees,
14:20 we get an answer from the Lord.
14:24 So when you are at your wits end, don't ask people.
14:28 Get on your knees.
14:30 The psalmist David said in Psalm 146:3...
14:42 The Lord has put into place reciprocal principles
14:47 of blessings.
14:48 Now the world often uses it incorrectly.
14:50 Some ministries use it to pad their own pockets.
14:53 Let me make it clear tonight.
14:55 Wherever you're watching from, whatever denomination
14:57 you may be of, that's not the case for an Adventist pastor.
15:01 Whether the church is full, or five people,
15:04 we get the same salary.
15:06 Amen, Adventists.
15:07 So we don't tell you what you want to hear
15:10 so you can put money in our pockets.
15:12 We tell you what you need to hear
15:14 so God can put money in our pockets.
15:18 And by the way, money is not going to get us to heaven.
15:20 The Lord will.
15:21 But notice the reciprocal principles of blessings.
15:24 Luke 6:38
15:46 Now if you can see through that picture,
15:47 you can see some measuring cups.
15:49 If somebody knocks on your door and says,
15:50 "I need a teaspoon of salt,"
15:53 and you give them a thimble of salt,
15:58 when the time comes that you need a teaspoon of salt
16:00 you're going to get a thimble of salt.
16:02 Because with the same measure that you use,
16:05 it will be measured back to you again.
16:07 In other words, when the time comes for the needs
16:11 of God's work to be supplied, don't be stingy.
16:15 Because the Lord says,
16:17 "If you're liberal, I'll be liberal."
16:19 And who can be more liberal than God?
16:22 Nobody.
16:23 Who's got deeper pockets?
16:25 Let's look at this in perspective.
16:26 Let's look at this even further.
16:28 The law of blessings is as reliable as the law of gravity.
16:33 Galatians 6:7
16:45 Let's look at the principles of sowing.
16:47 Let's look at this very carefully.
16:49 This is a very quick investment example.
16:53 If you invested $7200 in a savings account...
16:56 That's about $600 a month.
16:58 ...and you had an interest rate of 2.129,
17:01 the potential return after a year,
17:03 you only increase by $353.29.
17:08 Actually, $153.29.
17:10 I got ya. I'm with ya.
17:13 That's not a big increase.
17:16 And we're going to talk about how God is far greater
17:19 than any local bank.
17:21 Because what the bank does is based on the
17:23 rise and fall of the prime rates, the stock market,
17:26 the stability or the instability of the world.
17:29 God's financial system is not based on anything that man has.
17:36 Because God's bank is offshore.
17:40 Let me go further. God's bank is off planet.
17:47 He doesn't have to hide His money.
17:49 Now let's look at the principles of reaping.
17:52 After one year if you had that $7353.29 balance,
17:57 and you write a check for $8000, you will be what?
18:00 Overdrawn by that amount, $646.71.
18:04 You know that when you write a check that has
18:07 more on the check than there is in the bank,
18:09 you get something called what?
18:10 Insufficient funds.
18:13 In other words, the check will bounce.
18:15 That's why when you rely on just what you have...
18:18 Let me make the point very clear tonight.
18:19 When you rely on just what you have,
18:23 it's completely within your power to provide your need.
18:27 But when you rely on what God has,
18:31 it is in His power to provide all of your need.
18:35 I wish I could tell you some of 3ABN's miracle stories.
18:39 This very ministry is a miracle based on
18:43 the faithfulness of God.
18:46 Wish Danny could come one night and tell his testimony.
18:49 How when he just prayed, "Lord, where is the
18:53 Adventist church in the media world?"
18:55 And the Lord says, "You do it."
18:57 And from that day till this, God has been providing
19:00 every need that 3ABN has.
19:03 And we are definitely a ministry of faith.
19:06 But when you follow God's plan, there will be no lack.
19:11 And God knows exactly what our needs are.
19:13 As a matter of fact, notice what He says.
19:16 2 Corinthians 9:6
19:19 Notice the principles, the reciprocal principles.
19:22 It is based on you giving and you receiving.
19:28 That means, if you're stingy.
19:33 If you're stingy, that's how you'll be dealt with.
19:42 In other words, as you've seen on the ATM,
19:45 you get what you give.
19:47 You cannot get out of a machine what you haven't put in that.
19:50 The point is very clear.
19:51 Some people are members of churches
19:53 and they never give anything.
19:56 I've said to people...
19:57 Some people say, "Well I don't work.
19:59 I just get a limited amount of income,
20:01 and I cannot afford to give."
20:02 Let me tell you something.
20:03 No matter what you get, give something to the Lord's work.
20:07 Because it is only as you give that you'll understand
20:11 that God can always out give you.
20:14 You've got to trust Him, though.
20:16 You've got to put Him to the test.
20:19 If you put God to the test, you'll discover
20:21 how faithful the Lord is.
20:24 The other thing you have to avoid is hoarding.
20:26 There are some people that stack money in their mattresses,
20:31 and in books, and in boxes.
20:34 I heard stories of people that have died,
20:35 and when they went to their house they found money in the
20:37 mattress, thousands and thousands.
20:40 I know of a lady who just refuses to die.
20:42 Not that I want her to, but let me make my point.
20:46 Let me make my point. Here's my point.
20:48 She's well up in years, has millions of dollars.
20:52 And the floor in her house was cracking, and she said,
20:57 "I don't think I have enough money to fix that."
21:00 And we said, "Do you realize..."
21:01 We didn't say it, but, "Do you realize you could buy this house
21:05 twenty times over?"
21:07 But there are some people that hoard, thinking that somehow
21:10 by holding onto this, money gives us security.
21:14 No, the only security we have is in Christ.
21:21 The greatest witness against you will be when the Lord comes
21:25 you've got a bank full of money.
21:27 And God gave you what He gave you to advance
21:30 His work in the earth.
21:32 The evidence is found in the book of James chapter 5.
21:35 Notice what he says. Be careful, don't be a hoarder.
21:44 And I tell you what.
21:45 People say that people that are not rich want to be rich.
21:49 But people that are rich are not always happy.
21:52 When you get a chance, read Psalm 73.
22:14 Whereas the King James version says,
22:15 "...for the last days."
22:17 Some people are just holding on. They feel secure.
22:19 "Oh, I've got 'x' amount of dollars.
22:21 If I've got 'x' amount of dollars, I'll be secure."
22:23 Let me tell you something.
22:27 My wife and I, we may look like we have money.
22:30 Don't let that fool you.
22:33 We have been raised to dress decently.
22:35 That's the way we were raised.
22:37 But we are not rolling in dough.
22:39 We're rolling in God's blessings.
22:43 Because we know that dough and God's blessings
22:45 are not on the same page.
22:47 That's why you have to be careful and
22:49 understand the reality of it.
22:50 Matthew 6:21, don't hoard, because the Bible says...
23:00 Be very careful. Watch out.
23:02 Some people, their mind is more on their money
23:05 than on their Lord.
23:06 And in one breath...
23:09 Do you know that every one of us is one breath
23:12 away from eternity?
23:15 One breath.
23:17 If that next breath does not occur, your bank account
23:21 could never give you life.
23:26 So be careful.
23:27 May your treasure be in the Lord, not in your possessions.
23:30 Because Luke, Dr. Luke, makes it very clear.
23:33 Luke 12:15
23:49 I've got to talk to some of the men here.
23:50 Now ladies may have a million shoes.
23:52 I understand that.
23:54 That's the law of life.
23:56 But some guys will be driving down the road and see a 2x4,
24:00 and pull over and pick it up and put it in their garage.
24:03 And the wife will say, "What did you do that for?"
24:05 And he'll say, "Well honey, that's a good piece of wood.
24:08 We'll be able to use that one day."
24:10 And then he drives another few miles and sees a yard sale
24:13 and buys stuff he'll never use.
24:15 And his barn becomes bigger than his house.
24:22 And he has tools of every kind.
24:26 He has every kind of power tool you can think of.
24:31 Every kind of hammer you can buy.
24:35 And he feels like the ultimate contractor.
24:38 And he doesn't use any of it.
24:40 And when you open his garage, there's no car in it.
24:43 It's just stuff.
24:47 And some people feel secure.
24:49 But don't forget.
24:51 Your life does not consist in the abundance
24:54 of the things that you possess.
24:56 Amen, somebody?
24:57 You've got to remember the Lord.
24:59 Because God prospers us.
25:01 He prospers us, but sometimes when we become prosperous
25:04 we forget God.
25:05 Be careful not to forget God.
25:07 In the Old Testament, the Lord warned the Israelites
25:09 about forgetting Him.
25:11 He brought them out of Egypt.
25:12 He provided every need they had.
25:14 And the Bible says, when they followed God's health plan
25:16 not one of them was feeble on the journey.
25:19 Their clothing and shoes did not wear out.
25:21 When the days were hot, God covered them with a cloud.
25:25 When the nights were cold, He warmed them up
25:27 with a pillar of fire that did not consume them
25:30 but provided them two things: protection and warmth.
25:34 When the serpents and scorpions could have taken their lives,
25:36 God was there defender.
25:38 And when they were hungry, He gave them food
25:40 all day long.
25:43 But when they got fat and prosperous
25:45 they began to forget God.
25:47 And Moses wrote these words for us today.
25:51 Deuteronomy 8:11-17
26:17 Today, our cars and our motorcycles.
26:50 Am I telling you a story tonight?
26:53 We wouldn't be here if it had not been for God's faithfulness.
26:57 We wouldn't be here.
26:58 He continues.
27:01 I know a Lord that my father did not know.
27:24 There are some people that go to college, get a degree,
27:26 get a good job, and they say,
27:28 "My education got me this wealth."
27:33 Don't fool yourself.
27:34 Education may get you a position,
27:36 but God gives you the health to go to work.
27:39 Am I right?
27:41 You can have a degree, but what good would it be
27:43 if you're in the hospital?
27:46 And there are some people that get diseases
27:48 that could have taken their lives,
27:49 and God brings them through.
27:51 It is God who gives us power,
27:53 health to be able to work to get wealth.
27:56 Do not allow the wealth to become your focus.
27:58 May your focus always be on the God that gave you health
28:03 to get that degree, and that gave you power
28:06 to get that position in life.
28:09 Because some of us are just like the rich fool in the Bible.
28:13 There are so many warnings.
28:14 Do you know that the Bible talks about money
28:16 more than the topic of the second coming?
28:21 I think... It talks about...
28:23 The three major topics; you'll find the topic of hell
28:26 is talked about quite a bit.
28:27 But you'll find heaven, money.
28:29 Two topics right up there neck and neck.
28:32 So if money were not important, the Lord would not use it
28:35 or include it in His Word.
28:36 But money is a test of the heart.
28:39 That's why He included that.
28:41 Notice the words of Dr. Luke in Luke 12:16-21.
28:46 Speaking of the rich fool.
28:49 And by the way, this applies to all of us today.
29:45 God will never give you anything that will
29:47 lead you away from Him.
29:50 And if you can't trust God with your money,
29:52 He's not going to trust you with His.
29:54 Did you hear what I just said?
29:56 If you can't trust God with the little you have,
29:59 He's not going to give you the abundance that He has.
30:02 Remember, the Bible says those who are faithful over the least,
30:06 He will make them rulers over much.
30:09 Right now my wife and I are reading in the book of 1 Kings
30:12 about the wealth of Solomon.
30:14 And our minds are just being, our minds are just being
30:17 burned out thinking of the abundance that God gave
30:21 that man named Solomon.
30:23 But Solomon did not ask for things.
30:27 Solomon asked for wisdom.
30:30 When you ask for stuff, that's exactly what God
30:33 is not going to give you.
30:34 And some of the reasons why some of us are poor
30:36 is because God knows if we ever got wealth
30:39 we would walk away from Him.
30:41 God keeps some of us on our knees just so we could be saved.
30:47 I got a call from a lady one day, California,
30:51 older Filipino lady, she said, "Pastor Lomacang."
30:54 And I said, "Yes."
30:56 She says, "I want to talk to you."
30:58 I said, "Sure."
30:59 She says, "I wonder why God is not blessing me.
31:04 Because I want to give money to His work."
31:06 Let me just talk normal.
31:10 Because after a while it doesn't really sound right.
31:13 "Because I want to give money to His work."
31:15 She said, "And if He would only bless me,
31:18 I would give money for evangelism, and the church,
31:21 and help out in different meetings."
31:23 "Okay, great." I said, "Okay, well..."
31:25 After about 40 minutes we talked, wonderful lady,
31:27 I said, "Let me pray for you that God will provide."
31:30 And I said, "Well, I don't know why He hasn't done that."
31:33 She said, "Because I want to give towards His work."
31:35 And when we prayed, she said, "Pastor,
31:38 let me ask you one more thing.
31:40 Is it wrong to gamble?"
31:45 I said, "Are you asking me a question
31:48 or are you telling me that you've been gambling
31:50 trying to provide the church with funds?"
31:52 "Well, I gamble from time to time."
31:56 I said, "That's why God's not blessing you.
31:59 Because you're trying to get it by luck
32:01 rather than by divine appointment."
32:03 Amen?
32:04 There's always a reason why God doesn't bless people.
32:07 It's not because He cannot.
32:09 Because He knows the heart.
32:11 You think it's about the pocket.
32:12 It's really about the heart.
32:16 Some people lay up treasure, and they are not rich toward God.
32:19 I read a poem once I'm going to share with you now.
32:21 Very amazing.
32:22 Matter of fact, I'll give you one more principle
32:24 before I share the poem.
32:25 There are some people that are extremely wealthy
32:27 and they'll write checks for large amounts,
32:29 but it's really not a test of sacrifice.
32:32 And while the check may be large, it doesn't even
32:35 reveal what they really can give.
32:39 That's why the Bible gave an example in Scripture
32:41 about the widow with... How many mites?
32:43 ...two mites.
32:45 Notice Mark 12:44.
33:00 You know it's not how much you give.
33:02 It's the percentage.
33:04 It's the percentage.
33:05 It's the test of your heart.
33:07 Some people say, 'Well you know, I'll pledge a large amount."
33:10 Here's how you'll know it's a sacrifice.
33:12 When it starts to hurt.
33:15 When you start writing and say, "Oh, uh..."
33:19 And be careful.
33:20 Here's an example.
33:22 Ananias and Sapphira.
33:25 They got caught up in everybody pledging.
33:28 God gave them prosperous returns on the land.
33:31 When God blessed them, they decided to keep
33:33 what God gave for themselves.
33:34 They thought to themselves, "Well I didn't think
33:36 the land was worth that much."
33:37 Let me say something.
33:39 Whatever you give to God, He'll make it worth
33:41 more than you think it's worth.
33:43 Because when you give out of the motive of
33:45 blessing His work, He'll give what He knows His work needs.
33:48 But when you steal from Him after He has blessed you,
33:52 and then you lie that God didn't really give you that amount...
33:55 One of the reasons why the Lord dealt with Ananias and Sapphira
33:58 the way He did is because He wanted to communicate
34:01 to the New Testament church that was just beginning
34:05 that He does not have pleasure in fools.
34:09 He says, "Do not..."
34:11 The wise man Solomon says, "Do not allow your mouth
34:14 to cause your flesh to sin."
34:17 It is better not to vow than to vow and not to pay.
34:21 And do no say before the Lord, "It was a mistake."
34:27 Don't ever do that.
34:28 If you vow, give it.
34:31 Because God knows exactly how to return.
34:34 Listen to this poem about greed.
34:35 Be careful not to become a person of greed.
34:38 When we were born with no possessions,
34:40 the love received was our concession.
34:43 No worries, no fears, no troubles, no fuss;
34:46 in mother's arms we put our trust.
34:48 But as we grew, we looked and craved,
34:51 and all too soon became enslaved.
34:54 The more we saw, the more we wanted;
34:57 our quest for more became undaunted.
35:01 Our thirst for more could not be quenched;
35:04 the more we grasped, the tighter we clenched.
35:07 We scampered and gathered, and gathered and hoarded;
35:11 possessions became our master and our lord.
35:15 And when we were old, with our treasures all heaped,
35:18 the sad example of what greed has reaped,
35:22 our fists still clenched in a grasping motion,
35:27 till at last at death our hands were opened.
35:35 Don't know if you got that.
35:39 But that which you hold on all your life to that can't save you
35:42 will finally have to be let go at the moment of death.
35:50 I don't want to jump ahead of myself,
35:51 but we didn't bring anything in the world.
35:53 And we're not taking anything out.
35:56 Amen?
35:58 That's why God has a powerful undaunted plan if you trust Him.
36:03 Let's look at Malachi.
36:05 You can see this guy in the back, he's got a sack of money.
36:07 And he doesn't look like a good character.
36:09 But the Bible begins in Malachi 3:8.
36:26 And notice the scripture.
36:39 Tonight let's understand something about
36:40 tithes and offerings.
36:42 Let's look at this quick example.
36:43 Understanding tithes and offering.
36:45 A tithe is simply ten percent of your income.
36:48 If you total income is $100, you total tithe is how much?
36:53 Ten dollars.
36:54 The offering...
36:55 Because the Bible says, "You'll rob Me in
36:57 tithe and in offerings."
36:58 Your tithe is not designated in Scripture.
37:01 But if you look at the principles throughout
37:03 Scripture, and often times when the tithe was 10%,
37:06 in many cases 5% was given.
37:10 But the offering is how God has prospered you.
37:14 And let me make a very important point about tithe.
37:18 And we'll see this in a moment
37:19 as we continue in the book of Malachi.
37:21 Tithe is not something you pay.
37:28 It's not a bill.
37:30 It's a test of your heart.
37:33 If the Lord gave you ten oranges, and somebody
37:36 came along and said, "Could I have an orange?"
37:39 And you say, "No."
37:41 "I just want one."
37:43 "No."
37:44 Now wouldn't that be awful?
37:47 I read a story about a man who was a,
37:49 he began in the company as a janitor.
37:51 Started as a janitor.
37:52 He did such a good job he became the manager of the janitors.
37:56 He did such a good job there, they promoted him
37:59 to another position, another position.
38:01 And about 15 years later he became right below the
38:04 chief executive in that bank.
38:06 And his salary grew over and over and over.
38:11 And he had an abundant salary.
38:13 And one day he was writing his tithe check.
38:17 And he had almost five zeroes in it.
38:20 Five digits in it.
38:21 Large amount.
38:22 And he looked at that and he thought,
38:24 "Whoa, this is a large check."
38:27 And as he was writing, he tells the story, he said,
38:29 "As I was writing the check reluctantly,
38:32 I heard the Lord say, 'Would it serve you best
38:34 if I gave you back your janitor's job?'"
38:41 One-tenth is one-tenth.
38:43 Can the church say amen?
38:45 It's the same percentage.
38:47 But sometimes we think the amount is what...
38:49 You know, some people, they write a check for
38:51 whatever the amount is, and it's large, and they think,
38:53 "I can't, I can't give that to the church."
38:56 You're not giving it to the church.
38:58 You're putting into the treasury of God.
39:01 And let me make another point.
39:03 Some people have the idea that because they don't
39:05 like the way the money is being used,
39:07 they're going to withhold it.
39:09 Let me make it clear tonight.
39:11 When you withhold...
39:12 Let God deal with the thieves.
39:16 Did you hear what I said?
39:17 If somebody wants to be dishonest in the treasury
39:19 or the use of God's money, God will deal with them.
39:23 But don't let God come after you
39:26 for being dishonest with Him.
39:30 Because the example of Ananias and Sapphira,
39:32 we didn't know what happened with that money in the treasury.
39:35 But God dealt with them because of their dishonest use
39:38 of the money He blessed them with.
39:40 When you give tithe, you return tithe.
39:44 You do what?
39:45 You return tithe.
39:48 And even in the priest who lived according to the tithe,
39:51 notice what the Bible says in the book of Leviticus 27:30.
40:08 That's very important. I can't run past that.
40:11 You don't hold onto what belongs to the Lord.
40:14 It's holy to Him.
40:17 You give holy things to a holy God.
40:21 And by the way, God doesn't need money.
40:25 But He knows He has a work that He's
40:26 established around the world.
40:28 And that's how the gospel is financed.
40:30 Last night I talked about Nicodemus.
40:31 Remember that?
40:33 Nicodemus was a wealthy man.
40:34 When Nicodemus was converted, Nicodemus helped finance
40:38 many of the outreach projects of the New Testament church.
40:42 The reason why the Lord said to this wealthy experienced rabbi,
40:46 pharisee, that he needed to be born again
40:49 is because God knew that if he was born again
40:52 he could be of use to the Lord in the future.
40:54 One of the reasons why so many of us are very well established
40:57 financially and we are of no use to God is because
41:01 we're not born again.
41:04 People that are born again don't hold onto anything
41:07 but the Lord.
41:10 The tithe is holy.
41:11 The Bible continues in verse 32 of Leviticus chapter 27.
41:26 What they did was, they counted as the flock passed, they said,
41:29 One, two, three... They tapped it.
41:32 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
41:38 Ten, out of line.
41:39 One, two... Ten, out of line.
41:42 That was the one that was holy to God.
41:43 But it passed under a counting rod.
41:46 They tapped the animal as they went by.
41:48 And the tenth one, out of line. That's the holy one to God.
41:51 They were sticklers to that.
41:52 That's why today so many are so still very wealthy
41:56 and still very prosperous.
41:58 You read the stories of some people like JC Penney's.
42:03 Years ago, read the story about JC Penney.
42:05 JC Penney became a wealthy man at a time when the
42:07 nation was struggling financially.
42:09 But he made up his mind to double tithe.
42:13 And JC Penney's is still around today.
42:17 But notice what the Bible says in Malachi 3:10.
42:20 When you are faithful to God, He is more than faithful to us.
42:47 If you don't know how big the windows of heaven are,
42:50 when you go home tonight go to the desert and look up.
42:54 Whatever you see, that's the windows of heaven.
42:56 Come on, somebody.
42:58 That's a serious window, right?
43:00 He'll pour it in.
43:02 If you give it in, He'll pour it in.
43:04 And God can out pour anybody on any day.
43:09 Solomon, I think about what he had.
43:11 Solomon, as we read it, Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses.
43:19 Not even 40,000 horses, but 40,000 stalls of horses.
43:27 I understand. I couldn't react either.
43:30 40,000 stalls.
43:33 Now let me tell you why God has put the tithe
43:36 and offering system together for His church.
43:39 And let's talk about the storehouse tonight.
43:41 Let me give you a glimpse.
43:42 The Seventh-day Adventist is a worldwide church.
43:45 These colors, you may not see it very well,
43:48 all these colors coordinate to different divisions
43:51 around the world that make up the
43:53 Seventh-day Adventist Church.
43:56 This church, Paradise Valley, is in the Pacific Union.
44:00 Let's go further. Let's look at this.
44:02 If you've never been there, this is the world headquarters
44:04 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
44:06 The General Conference in Silver Springs, Maryland.
44:10 I've had the privilege of going there.
44:11 Not too long ago, Pastor Doug Batchelor and I
44:13 did a series there.
44:14 That is, if you could use the phrase, that is the
44:17 heart of the world.
44:20 And the local churches, the local conferences,
44:22 the local unions, the local divisions,
44:25 are all veins and arteries pouring into
44:28 that General Conference.
44:29 Let's look at that.
44:30 Here's the picture of the church...
44:32 If you've never went to a General Conference session,
44:34 if you've never been to a General Conference session,
44:36 this was the San Antonio, Texas General Conference session.
44:39 Over 70,000 people that make up the Adventist church
44:43 from all over the world.
44:44 And these are just representatives.
44:49 You want to see a church in action?
44:51 You might think that this is the church.
44:53 This local church is a part of a 20 plus million member church.
44:59 And wherever you go in the world, and you see the word,
45:01 "Seventh-day Adventist," they're part of the worldwide family.
45:03 Amen, somebody.
45:04 But let's consider the blessing.
45:06 Let's follow the blessing.
45:09 Let's begin with Paradise Valley.
45:11 That's "PV" at the top.
45:13 When people at Paradise Valley are faithful,
45:17 a portion of their tithes and offerings
45:19 goes to the Arizona Conference.
45:22 Then from the Arizona Conference that handles all the churches
45:25 in the Arizona Conference, handling salaries for teachers,
45:30 and for pastors, and insurance, and all the other
45:33 working expenses, a portion of that goes to the Pacific Union.
45:37 And the Pacific Union now handles the finances
45:40 of all the conferences under its union and all their needs.
45:44 And then a portion of the Pacific Union tithes and
45:47 offerings go to the North American Division.
45:50 And the principle is reciprocated over and over.
45:53 In other words, repeated over and over and over again.
45:55 And a portion of that goes to the General Conference.
45:59 But now let's watch this.
46:01 If at the local level giving stops, the Arizona Conference
46:05 will die, and all the other churches in
46:08 the Arizona Conference will die.
46:10 It's like a heart.
46:12 The General Conference is the heart.
46:14 If blood stops flowing to the heart,
46:16 then the whole body starts to die.
46:19 And there are churches around the world that
46:21 cannot afford a pastor.
46:23 But your giving...
46:24 By the way, let me make it very clear,
46:27 the blessing starts with who?
46:29 Say, "me."
46:30 The blessing starts with who? Me.
46:32 When the offering plate is passed and it comes by,
46:35 don't look at it like it's a gun.
46:40 Look at it like it's the source of your blessings.
46:43 Because when you give into that, God will pour
46:45 into your life in ways you'll say, "Unbelievable."
46:50 And it is more blessed to do what?
46:52 Give, than it is to do what?
46:54 To receive.
46:56 The blessing always starts with you.
47:00 The blessing always starts with you.
47:02 And by the way, God can make nine tenths go further
47:09 than ten tenths.
47:11 He can always...
47:13 My wife and I could tell you some stories.
47:14 When we were dating, we had a little old car.
47:16 It only had a forward gear. Did not have a reverse gear.
47:21 And we would use that car for prison ministry every Sabbath.
47:24 And that car never broke down.
47:26 We said to ourselves, "If we use this for something
47:29 other than God's work, something is going to happen."
47:31 One day we went to an amusement park in New Jersey,
47:33 on the way back the transmission gave out on
47:35 the George Washington Bridge.
47:38 Well it didn't go in reverse, and it stopped going forward.
47:43 So after we paid the toll, and the toll operator is
47:45 waiting for us to go, here we are, rrmmm, rrmmm.
47:49 Car not going anywhere.
47:51 We kind of rocked and looked at them and smiled.
47:53 They said, "Go on."
47:54 I think the Lord went...
47:58 Because it started to roll and we went by momentum.
48:00 We just rolled down the George Washington Bridge,
48:03 and by God's grace didn't have to stop,
48:05 until we stopped on a side street and
48:07 called our family for help.
48:09 But let me tell you this.
48:10 Ever since we have been married and gave our lives to the Lord,
48:13 we've never had those issues.
48:15 Even last night, let me tell you a big blessing,
48:17 when we left last night, we got to church late last night,
48:21 we got here on a donut.
48:23 That means the car had a flat at the hotel.
48:25 And Jill and Greg and some of our camera guys came out.
48:28 Brad and other guys came out, Ralph.
48:30 And they came out just in time so that this poor preacher
48:34 didn't have to get on his knees in a suit
48:36 and change the tire.
48:38 And Greg, praise God he did that, and Brad helped.
48:40 And praise the Lord for both of them.
48:42 And then we couldn't find the car place,
48:44 so we came to church very late.
48:46 And afterwards they said, "Now drive
48:48 all the way to the airport."
48:49 We had this little tiny car.
48:51 We are frugal with what God gives into the ministry of 3ABN.
48:56 We got to the airport, and they treated us like royalty.
49:00 They said, "Sir, we apologize for any inconvenience.
49:06 What kind of car would you like?"
49:09 Well...
49:10 Now they gave us four brands to choose from.
49:12 Well you've got the Buick, or Chevy, or Toyota, or Nissan.
49:16 "Ah well, you know, any one, but I like Nissan, Toyota."
49:22 They went and got it, they said, "Sir, okay what do you..."
49:24 They brought us a 2018 with all the bells and whistles:
49:28 collision avoidance, rear camera, lane departure warning.
49:33 Everything, every bell and whistle it had.
49:36 Sirius satellite.
49:37 And the lady said, "Oh by the way,
49:39 one more thing we're going to do.
49:40 We're going to give you a full tank of gas."
49:42 Jill, listen up.
49:44 "Which means you can bring it back to the airport fully empty.
49:47 We don't really care."
49:49 Amen?
49:51 Why? Because God... You know why that happened?
49:53 Because God can do it. That's why it happened.
49:56 He shows out sometimes.
49:58 He shows out sometimes.
49:59 That's why the Bible says...
50:00 Look at what God promises to do when you're faithful.
50:03 Malachi 3:11-12
50:26 When you are faithful, God is faithful.
50:31 Oh I wish I had another hour.
50:34 Or two.
50:36 When my wife and I were praying...
50:37 I've got two scriptures, and I'll get it in there.
50:40 When my wife and I were praying as young people,
50:42 "Lord, open the door for us in ministry,"
50:44 we got all the way to California on prayer.
50:48 We had just a thousand dollars that was advanced to us
50:51 from the conference that called us.
50:53 With no degree.
50:55 I prayed, "Lord, open the door in ministry."
50:58 We're living in Florida.
50:59 Get a phone call from the Northern California Conference
51:01 president, and here's the message.
51:03 "There's a position in evangelism.
51:05 Are you interested?"
51:08 We got all the way to California with just under $400 left.
51:11 And with the first and last months rent, everything in
51:14 California, everything expensive.
51:17 The Lord found us an apartment building,
51:19 a brand new apartment building.
51:21 Every time we went to get an apartment,
51:23 they turned us down.
51:25 Every time we put in an application, $25, they said,
51:27 "No," "No," "No."
51:29 You know what I've learned?
51:30 When they say no, God's got something better.
51:34 So finally in desperation, my wife said, "Honey, if we
51:37 leave now, we have just enough money to get back to Florida."
51:40 And we were staying in a...
51:41 We were staying, not in a motel, but a yotel.
51:44 That's below motel.
51:46 That's where the truckers stop when they
51:48 can't find any place else.
51:50 That's where you don't take your shoes off.
51:52 And you don't use the shower.
51:55 So here we are in our yotel with hardly any money left.
51:59 And my wife said, "We can make it if we leave now."
52:03 I said, "Honey, God didn't bring us this far to leave us."
52:05 Come on, get an amen somewhere.
52:07 So I threw the newspaper down and there was a
52:09 small ad; $75.
52:10 I said, "Well you know what?
52:11 Right now we'll take anything."
52:13 Called the place and said, "Can we come now
52:15 and fill the application out?"
52:16 He said, "Come on."
52:17 We drove up a hill to a brand new apartment complex.
52:19 I said, "This is nice."
52:21 I said, "Honey, everybody else turned us down.
52:23 There ain't no way we're going to get a place here."
52:25 The lady didn't pay us any attention.
52:26 We filled the application out.
52:30 4:57, she wanted to go home at 5:00,
52:31 she said, "Check with me tomorrow."
52:33 We called the next morning, because we had to
52:34 check out of our yotel by 11:00.
52:37 So, no call.
52:39 "Ma'am..." "Yes, sir, who are you?"
52:41 "I'm John Lomacang." "How can I help you?"
52:43 "Remember last night?" "Oh yeah, your application."
52:45 "Yes. And what happened?"
52:48 "Oh, you got approved."
52:50 Amen.
52:52 But that's the first part.
52:53 How are we going to afford this?
52:56 How are we going to afford this?
52:57 How are we going to afford this, honey?
53:00 So we got up there and we said...
53:01 We're looking at a manicured property.
53:03 Beautiful nice bright yellow lines.
53:06 The security guard had on a suit that was creased.
53:10 I'm thinking, this is not in our pocket.
53:13 "How much will it take to get in?"
53:18 "$238.00"
53:21 "Really? Is that it?"
53:25 You know, those questions you are afraid to ask, "Is that it?"
53:27 "That's it."
53:30 "Well, what apartment?"
53:32 She said, "We only have one apartment left."
53:34 I said, "Okay."
53:36 So we walked across the grass kind of holding our breath.
53:40 She said, "And here it is.
53:42 By the way, it's the model apartment with all the bells,
53:45 all the whistles."
53:46 The real stone tops, the carpets, the extended curtains.
53:50 It's got all the bells that all the others don't have.
53:54 And God has a way of putting His signature on stuff.
53:57 It was apartment number seven.
54:00 Amen.
54:03 Okay, we're in the apartment now.
54:05 We're getting excited. We're in the apartment now.
54:07 "Okay, how much will it take to turn the phone on?"
54:09 She said, "It's already on. You don't have to pay a dime.
54:12 Just call and change it into your name."
54:13 Amen.
54:15 "Well, what about the lights?"
54:16 "They're already on. Can't you see?
54:18 Just call the company and put it in your name."
54:20 "Well, what about the heat?"
54:22 "It's already on.
54:23 Just call them and put it in your name."
54:26 And that's just the tip of my iceberg.
54:29 Let me tell you something.
54:30 We have made it 31 years in ministry
54:32 and on the way to 35 years in marriage,
54:33 not because we found a great plan,
54:36 but we have a great God.
54:38 Timothy said it this way.
54:52 Oh it's true, my friends.
54:54 "And my God..." Come on, say that with me.
54:55 "And my God..."
54:56 Come on, one more time. "And my God..."
55:06 As you trust Him, you'll see the difference
55:09 He makes in your life.
55:15 When we walk with the Lord
55:23 in the light of His word,
55:28 what a glory He sheds on our way.
55:40 While we do His good will
55:46 He abides in us still,
55:52 and with all who will trust and obey.
55:59 Can we join you, Lyndon? Can we join you?
56:02 Trust and obey, for there's no other way
56:13 to be happy in Jesus
56:20 but to trust and obey.
56:25 I'm going to have him sing another stanza.
56:26 Tonight somebody came in here...
56:28 Just stand right now.
56:30 Somebody came in here wondering
56:32 how they're going to make it.
56:34 You don't have to worry about how you're going to make it.
56:37 God's already got it figured out.
56:41 He counted His resources, as Danny said,
56:44 and He found that He's not lacking.
56:48 And God will supply all your need.
56:50 But He just wants to see where your heart is.
56:53 Not your bank balance, but your faith balance.
56:57 He wants you to believe His word,
57:00 put His plan into action,
57:03 invest in a system that will never fail.
57:06 And recognize when the earth and all of its riches
57:09 have been consumed in the fires of eternity,
57:13 you'll walk through a city made of precious stones.
57:17 So friends, tonight as we leave, may you keep trusting God,
57:21 believing Him, and He is faithful.
57:24 Amen, somebody.
57:25 Let's sing that song one more time.
57:28 The chorus, trust and obey.
57:32 Oh trust and obey,
57:37 for there's no other way
57:43 to be happy in Jesus
57:50 but to trust and obey.


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Revised 2019-05-14