Participants: Lonnie Melashenko
Series Code: VOPS
Program Code: VOPS000026
|
00:32 Prior to Y2K, people made millions of dollars
00:36 by investing money in the stock market. 00:39 Overnight they raked it in and reaped fortunes. 00:43 Not any more. 00:45 In fact, out of the blue 00:46 Bill Gates and the world's rich have been losing billions. 00:50 Enron scandals, corporate greed, 00:53 cheaters on Wall Street, politics, 00:55 war in the Middle East. 00:56 You know, today's financial roller-coaster 00:59 spirals up and down like a yo-yo. 01:02 Unprecedented. Heading who knows where. 01:06 So people are searching, they're wondering: 01:10 "Is anything stable or permanent?" 01:12 Not just security for the future, 01:14 but for the present. 01:16 Well, ladies and gentlemen, 01:17 did you know that God never intended 01:20 that you and I should have to worry 01:22 about the present or the future? 01:25 A perfect partnership plan guaranteed 01:29 so that we'd never have to worry about the future 01:31 or fear what's going to happen to us? 01:34 In Matthew 6:31 and 32, Jesus said, 01:38 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' 01:41 Or, 'What shall we drink?' Or, 'What shall we wear?'... 01:44 For your heavenly Father knows 01:47 that you need all these things." 01:50 God's social security plan started 01:54 way back there in the Garden of Eden. 01:56 When planet Earth came fresh from the Creator's hands 01:59 in all of its splendor and perfection, 02:02 glorious beyond description, the stroke of the master artist 02:05 just greeted the eye at every turn. 02:08 Magnificent sunrises were rivaled 02:10 only by breathtaking sunsets. 02:13 Peaceful lakes nestled between the hills. 02:15 Gorgeous blossoms delighting the senses. 02:18 Trees were loaded with delicious fruit of every kind. 02:21 Songbirds filled the air with melody. 02:24 Animals out there in the lush meadows 02:25 just played and roamed unafraid. 02:28 The streams and lakes were alive 02:30 with beautifully colored fish. 02:32 It was a paradise from pole to pole. 02:36 But there was even more. 02:38 Genesis 2:8 says, "The Lord God planted a garden 02:43 and there He put the man whom He had formed." 02:47 Imagine this. 02:48 God personally sculptured and manicured 02:51 a luxurious home for Adam and Eve. 02:54 So exquisite, so lavish, it was incomparably beautiful. 02:58 No down payment. No mortgage. 03:01 Zero interest rate. 03:03 In fact He even stocked their refrigerator with groceries. 03:06 Notice Genesis 1:29, 03:10 "I have given you every herb that yields seed 03:13 which is on the face of all the earth, 03:15 and every tree whose fruit yields seed, 03:17 to you it shall be for food." 03:21 Folks Adam and Eve paid no rent, 03:24 they never worried about taxes, 03:27 no locks or keys in their doors, 03:29 no vandals, burglars, no hospitals or drugstores. 03:32 I mean they had everything. 03:35 Perfect health. Endless youth. 03:38 Undying commitment to each other 03:40 and a boundless love for God and God said, kids have at it 03:45 "Live it up Enjoy these blessings." 03:48 Notice Genesis 1:28 He said, 03:51 "Be fruitful, and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it." 03:57 God's original design was one great big 04:00 happy family inhabiting Planet Earth. 04:02 Life, Health and Wealth. 04:06 Of course, God also knew mankind would be happiest 04:09 if he had something to do 04:11 several kinds of responsibilities, 04:13 some challenges like employment, 04:16 tasks they'd be responsible for. 04:19 So He told Adam and Eve, 04:21 now Adam and Eve "I own it, I've created it. 04:26 But I want you to become the managers of my property. 04:29 I want you to be partners." Not owners. 04:33 Stewards who manage everything I've created. 04:37 Genesis 1:28 "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, 04:42 over the birds of the air, 04:43 and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 04:47 And then we read in Genesis 2:15 04:49 "Then the Lord God took the man, 04:53 and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it." 04:59 You see, ladies and gentlemen. 05:01 There are two theories of ownership 05:04 in our world today. 05:06 One is right, the other is wrong. 05:09 One is Christian, the other is pagan. 05:13 And because most people practice the pagan concept, 05:17 billions live absolutely miserable lives. 05:22 Now according to the Bible's theory of ownership, 05:25 Bill Gates and Martha Stewart own nothing. 05:30 God owns everything, everything in the world. 05:34 It's His as it says in Psalm 24:1 05:37 "The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, 05:40 the world and those who dwell therein." 05:42 And Psalm 50:10, 11, 05:45 "For every beast of the forest is Mine, 05:48 and the cattle on a thousand hills. 05:50 I know all the birds of the mountains, 05:52 and the wild beasts of the field are Mine." 05:57 But unfortunately it is the primitive 05:59 pagan concept of ownership 06:04 that prevails, you know what that is? 06:07 It says this, well, the best title to property 06:11 is conquest, ownership, earn, grasp. 06:16 Get what you can by brute force and then it's yours. 06:20 Wit, conniving, get a couple of Harvard degrees, 06:23 earn an MBA in Business Management. 06:25 Develop market savvy. 06:26 Conniving maybe some real estate intellect 06:30 and maybe a little fraud and extortion. 06:32 But friend is this true that might makes right? 06:37 And whoever gets the most marbles wins? 06:41 Well, Wall Street would give that impression. 06:44 But that is the pagan concept that's cursing mankind. 06:49 Because in the end that means 06:52 the big man, the mafia gets all. 06:56 This theory says, according to Deuteronomy 8:17 07:00 "My power and the might of mine hand 07:03 hath gotten me this wealth," 07:06 The best man wins. Survival of the fittest. 07:09 Dominate make your pile early in life. 07:12 Money, hey, money is power. 07:14 And you only go around once in life, 07:16 so go for all of that gusto you can get. 07:19 That is the secular concept of ownership. 07:24 Over on the other side of the spectrum. 07:26 The Christian concept of ownership 07:29 is that we really don't own anything, nothing, zilch, nada. 07:36 God owns everything. 07:40 We're just managing things for Him. 07:43 We're not owners. 07:44 We're stewards because Deuteronomy 8:18 says, 07:48 "Remember, it is He God 07:52 who gives you power to get wealth." 07:56 Now, put simply, folks we really don't own anything. 08:01 God the Creator has prior claim on our possessions and on us. 08:06 We're just stewards. 08:09 Well, you say, what is a steward? 08:12 Oh, if you look in the Concise Oxford Dictionary 08:15 defines steward as a person entrusted 08:19 with the management of another's property." 08:23 So do you see the two theories? 08:26 Two philosophies, two radically different approaches 08:29 to wealth and money that are universes apart, 08:33 one is Ownership the other is Stewardship. 08:40 And ladies and gentlemen, these two opposites 08:43 were the big issue back there in the Garden of Eden. 08:47 You see the question wasn't over an apple. 08:50 The big test was, would Adam 08:53 let God be the owner and trust His plan? 08:58 Or would Adam try to take over as owner 09:01 and manage things his own way? 09:03 Who is going to be boss? 09:07 You see, friend, that is what sin is all about. 09:10 God or me. 09:13 And just like Adam and Eve 09:15 had a test back there in the Garden of Eden, 09:18 God has a test for us here in 2003 and 2004 09:23 only it's not by a tree. 09:26 In fact, there are five basic areas 09:29 God tests us as stewards to see whether 09:32 we're making proper use to the glory of God 09:34 of what He has entrusted to us. 09:37 First of all, from the very, very beginning, 09:40 God outlined very clearly 09:42 that we're stewards of property and material goods. 09:47 I want you to notice Genesis 2:16, 17 09:51 He said to Adam and Eve 09:52 "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat 09:56 but of the tree of the knowledge 09:57 of good and evil you shall not eat, 10:00 for in the day that you eat of it 10:02 you shall surely die." 10:05 I want you to notice 10:07 how God tests our love and loyalty. 10:11 It's by something we produce or something we grow. 10:15 Adam and Eve could eat from all the trees in the garden, 10:18 they were their trees, thousands of them 10:21 oh, except one restriction. 10:23 One specific tree that was God's tree. 10:28 Okay, by obeying God, 10:31 they showed their recognition of His rightful ownership. 10:35 After all, He'd even He'd made everything. 10:37 He even made them too. 10:39 So if they remained faithful stewards 10:42 and respected that arrangement, 10:44 they would live forever in a world that was paradise. 10:50 But sadly, man failed back there. 10:53 They flunked the one simple test 10:57 God required of them. 10:59 They were unfaithful stewards. 11:01 You see by selfishness, trying to be owners, 11:06 they lost everything. 11:08 They lost their garden home. 11:10 They lost immortality. They lost love. 11:13 They lost happiness. They lost security. 11:15 They lost those face to face walks and talks with God. 11:20 And they slipped from being heirs to slaves 11:24 from blessings to curses, 11:26 never realizing the serious implications of adopting 11:30 the wrong theory of ownership. 11:35 And we know of course that watching behind it all 11:39 in sadistic satisfaction was Satan. 11:44 Who announced, 11:46 hey, I've commandeered ownership now. 11:48 Man forfeited, abdicated his control, his power. 11:52 By force and cunning, 11:54 Satan usurped control of Planet Earth 11:58 with now a whole planet in rebellion. 12:01 You know, folks, I thank God that Satan's assumed domination 12:06 and hi-jacking was shattered by Jesus Christ's entrance 12:10 into the world centuries later. 12:13 He bought back our world at infinite cost. 12:19 That's why Satan's plan was to go and deceive Jesus too. 12:23 Zero in on the very same way that he tricked Adam and Eve. 12:27 Would Jesus came here, Satan try to force Jesus 12:30 to take things into His own hands and control. 12:33 Adopt the same pagan theory of ownership of things. 12:38 Remember the story there in Mathew 4, 12:41 Satan waited with his dark glasses on one day 12:44 until Jesus had fasted the Bible says for 40 days. 12:48 And then Satan took Jesus up and it says in Matthew 4:8, 9 12:54 he took Him up in "Exceedingly high mountain, 12:58 and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. 12:59 And he said, 'All these things I will give you 13:02 if You will fall down and worship me.'" 13:06 Do you see the issue here? 13:08 Satan tried to entice Jesus to control things. 13:14 Here, Jesus, money, kingdoms, finances. 13:19 I'll give you ownership 13:22 but his deception didn't get very far with Jesus 13:25 because Jesus knew God already owned the Universe. 13:30 The things that Satan promised to give 13:32 Christ were not really his to give. 13:35 Satan had hi-jacked a planet by fraud and by deceit. 13:40 Right there, thank God, 13:41 Jesus Christ defeated Satan with it is written. 13:47 Three times Jesus bowled over the devil with those words. 13:51 And of course Calvary forever sealed Satan's fate, 13:55 returning Planet Earth back into the rightful hands 13:59 of men and women as stewards. 14:01 You and I today our very lives, 14:03 you see our possessions are again 14:05 Christ's purchased property. 14:08 He's not only our Creator, He's not only our Redeemer. 14:11 He is the rightful owner of the world and the universe. 14:15 Whether we love and serve Him or not, 14:17 our very lives all our possessions are His property. 14:23 Just like Adam and Eve, 14:25 we too now are again stewards of what God entrusts to us. 14:32 So what does He require of us? 14:36 When you and I stand before God in the judgment, 14:39 what is God going to be looking for in us stewards? 14:45 I want you to listen carefully 14:46 because the Bible gets very specific 14:48 about God's expectations of stewards. 14:52 For example Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, 14:55 "Moreover, Lonnie, it is required of stewards 14:59 that one be found faithful." 15:03 Faithful first and foremost in our stewardship of property, 15:09 material things. 15:11 But next, faithful in a second area. 15:15 Folks, we are stewards of life. 15:19 The greatest of all God's gifts, 15:20 you know we really take for granted. 15:22 It surges through our bodies. 15:24 Paul writes in Acts 17:24, 25, 15:29 "God, who made the world and everything in it 15:32 gives to all life, breath, and all things." 15:37 You know every heartbeat, every breath of air, 15:40 every pulse of our bodies is a gift from God, isn't it? 15:44 So you and I are stewards of our life and health 15:49 because God originates life. 15:51 He sustains it. It's His. 15:53 Romans 12:1 Paul says, "I beseech you therefore, 15:57 brethren, by the mercies of God, 15:59 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 16:02 holy acceptable to God, 16:04 which is your reasonable service." 16:08 You know a living sacrifice 16:09 simply means unreserved commitment. 16:14 Stewards of life means 16:15 that we are stewards of how we use our lives. 16:20 And Jesus for example said, 16:21 "Good stewards should follow His example, 16:25 and they should go about doing good." 16:27 Acts 10:38. 16:28 In their lives, letting their lives shine 16:31 and affecting others for good. 16:33 You know that's what Ann Landers recommends 16:35 in her advice column, doesn't she? 16:37 Do a good deed every day. Why? 16:39 Because that builds integrity, that builds character. 16:44 You see friend you count, you matter. 16:48 You make a difference. 16:50 So number two, you are stewards of life. 16:55 Third, we are stewards of time. 17:00 God gives us time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 17:04 Now how will the faithful steward use it? 17:07 The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 90:12, 17:10 "So teach us to number our days, 17:13 that we may gain a heart of wisdom." 17:17 In a person who wastes time, wastes life, 17:22 squanders the one talent which God Himself gave 17:25 identically to every man and woman. 17:28 In fact someone who said time is the stuff life is made of. 17:32 And every person has the same exact number of hours in a day. 17:36 24/7. 17:38 God expects that we each use our time wisely. 17:41 And by the way especially to remember 17:44 the seventh-day Sabbath 17:46 'cause that's His special time set apart, 17:49 His gift to set aside a time for rest for Him. 17:54 Holy time, God's time. How will we use time? 17:59 Will we use it on God's terms or our own terms? 18:04 Will we devote just 1/7th of our time 18:07 to fellowship with God, resting in His word, 18:10 drawing refreshment from His promises 18:12 and putting aside the weekly rat race of pressures at work? 18:15 Shopping, worldly pursuits. 18:17 And just remembering Him as Creator. 18:21 So third, we are stewards of time. 18:25 Fourth, we are stewards of the talents God gives us. 18:32 Well, you ask, what are the specific talents 18:35 for which I'm responsible to God as His steward? 18:38 Lon, I don't think I have any talents. 18:41 Oh, friend do you sing like Joey? 18:43 You Play an instrument like Phil Draper? 18:46 Do you paint pictures? Maybe you can sew a dress? 18:49 Can you write maybe organize? Can you talk on the phone? 18:54 God says, "I give you life, time, possessions and abilities 19:02 and it's your privilege to either use 19:03 these to enrich yourself, 19:05 satisfy your own whims and pleasures 19:07 or you can choose to use them to bless others." 19:12 We're stewards of talents, 19:15 loaned to us by God to use in blessing other people. 19:19 And then number 5, 19:21 God says, we are stewards of the money God gives us. 19:27 In fact, did you know that the Bible spends 19:29 more time talking about money than any other theme? 19:33 Money is very important to God. 19:36 And that's why He invites faithful stewards 19:39 to go into business with God 19:40 and partnership with a specific figure of money. 19:46 Millionaire Maurice Hitchcock once called my friend 19:49 George Vandeman, laughing, as he was studying 19:51 this subject he says, George, is it true 19:54 that God is going to tax me 10%? 19:58 Well, he answers yes, in fact that's all through the Bible. 20:03 Let's go back to a story way back there in Genesis 14, 20:07 the very interesting story about 20:09 how to say thank you to God. 20:13 Bible tells us in Genesis 14 20:15 that one day Abraham's nephew Lot was kidnapped 20:20 by an enemy tribe, the Elamites. 20:22 They took Lot, they took his family, 20:24 they took their possessions, everything. 20:26 Well, when news reached uncle Abe, 20:29 wow, he mounted a posse, he determined to rescue 20:32 Lot and the others, 20:34 praying Lord God please will you help me? 20:37 And God did help him deliver Lot and his family. 20:40 Abraham caught the kidnappers along with their loot 20:43 and brought them all back home to Sodom 20:45 where even the King came out to meet him 20:47 with the whole bunch of rewards and fanfare. 20:50 But Abraham refused to take any reward for himself. 20:54 Instead, when Melchizedek, a priest of God, 20:57 came to bless Abraham, Genesis 14:20 says 21:00 that then Abraham, "Gave him a tithe of all." 21:08 Now, here's an interesting new insight in scripture. 21:12 A proposal to us managers and stewards. 21:17 Here's an investment where friend you can't lose, 21:20 that many modern businessmen are catching on to, 21:24 a profound financial principle. 21:27 In fact most churches today are re-discovering, 21:30 because you see friend God doesn't lie. 21:34 When Abraham wanted to express appreciation to God, 21:37 he gave a tithe, holding those words for 10%. 21:43 And we know God blessed Abraham 21:46 that he became an extremely wealthy man like 21:49 most of the descendants of Abraham, 21:52 our Jewish friends who tithe. 21:54 Now fast-forward with me 150 years later 21:58 to Abraham's grandson Jacob. 22:02 We find that he expressed his gratitude to God 22:05 in the very same way and over in Genesis 28:22 22:10 "Of all that You give me 22:12 I will surely give a tenth to You." 22:16 What happened to Jacob? He became a wealthy man. 22:20 Go on down to King David. He tithed. 22:23 Psalm 116:12, same thing, He was a financial success. 22:28 Over and over again, 22:29 the principle of success through stewardship. 22:33 In fact, friend, did you know the down on the New Testament 22:35 Jesus approved and endorsed this same tithing principle? 22:40 In fact He told His disciples that tithing was something 22:44 that ought to be done by the Christian. 22:46 Matthew 23:23, "For you pay tithe, 22:52 these you ought to have done." 22:55 Oh, But Jesus also added something, 22:56 He said don't forget also to be a nice person too. 23:00 In fact in today's language I guess Jesus would say 23:03 something like this, Hey, Scrooge, 23:06 don't forget that giving 10% 23:09 doesn't get you off the hook from being a nice person. 23:12 It's a package deal. 23:14 You got to be fair. You got to be kind. 23:16 You got to be just, courteous, 23:19 and then I'll bless you big time. 23:23 One tenth. Now God gives us 10/10s. 23:28 But to remind us that we're just stewards, 23:31 He asks just 10 cents on a dollar. 23:33 Now He says that 10% that's mine. 23:35 It's my property. 23:37 In fact It's holy like the Sabbath, like I am holy. 23:41 The portion that I God reserve for Myself. 23:45 Notice in Leviticus 27:30, "And all the tithe of the land, 23:50 whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, 23:53 is the Lord's. 23:54 It is holy to the Lord." 23:58 Well, now someone asks, why does God specify 10%? 24:03 Does He need the money? Hardly. 24:06 But you see God knows tithing does something for us. 24:11 You see, we humans have a basic problem in our hearts, 24:14 don't we? 24:15 It's called selfishness. 24:18 You know, the essence of sin is what? 24:21 Selfishness. 24:22 I remember reading about a little boy was on his way 24:25 to Sunday school one morning. 24:27 As he started out, 24:29 his mother gave him two silver dollars, 24:31 son one of these dollars is for ice cream on the way home, 24:36 the other one is for the Lord, 24:38 you've to put that in the offering plate. 24:40 So off he went clutching the two silver dollars 24:42 tightly in his little fist. 24:43 But as he ran along, he tripped, he fell. 24:47 The coins fell out of his hands 24:48 and they started rolling down the street. 24:50 And he quickly reached out and he grabbed one of them. 24:53 But the other kept rolling and rolling 24:55 right down the drain into the gutter in the sewer. 25:00 Oh, there goes the Lord's dime he said, 25:05 isn't that our human dilemma. 25:07 See we're basically selfish. 25:10 No, friend, God doesn't need the money. 25:13 We need a cure for selfishness because the Bible says 25:17 that in our heart by nature, well, I didn't say this 25:22 but Malachi 3:8-10 says "We're by nature robbers." 25:28 Listen to him, says, "Will a man rob God? 25:32 Yet you have robbed Me! 25:34 But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' 25:36 In tithes and offerings. 25:39 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, 25:41 even this whole nation. 25:43 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse 25:46 that there may be food in My house." 25:52 I'd like to suggest 25:53 that tithing challenges and tests us 25:56 according to the Bible in four crucial ways: 26:00 It challenges our obedience first of all. 26:04 It challenges our faith. 26:06 Like, Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, 26:09 "Seek first, Lonnie, the kingdom of heaven, 26:13 and God's righteousness, 26:15 and all these things shall be added to you." 26:19 It also challenges us to consistent responsibility. 26:22 In fact Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:1-2. 26:27 Christians ought to give systematically. 26:31 Not just when we feel the mood. 26:33 In fact it says you have to do it every week. 26:36 Oh, and by the way Paul says, 26:38 if it hurts you too much, if you're gonna give, 26:41 well, grudgingly, don't even bother. 26:44 One of my favorite texts 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, 26:48 "God loves a cheerful giver." 26:51 Now in the Greek that's a very interesting word, 26:53 the word for cheerful is hilaron 26:56 from which we get our word hilarious. 26:59 That's the kind of givers God wants 27:02 where it's such a joy and privilege 27:03 to give responsibly that it's hilarious to give to God. 27:07 See God doesn't want us to give to Him grudgingly. 27:12 My friend Maurice Hitchcock know the tithe is not a tax, 27:16 it's not something we have to send to heaven 27:18 to kind of support God and the angel like 27:20 some sort of heavenly bureaucrats. 27:22 No, Psalm 50:12 says, 27:26 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, 27:29 for the world is Mine, and all its fullness." 27:33 See God isn't waiting for us to give 27:34 our tithes and offerings so He can pay the bills, 27:37 keep the lights turned on. 27:39 Friend, the reason why He asks us 27:41 to be faithful in our gifts 27:43 is found in the next two verses of Psalm 50:14, 15, 27:48 "Offer to God thanksgiving, 27:51 and pay your vows to the Most High. 27:53 Call upon Me in the day of trouble, 27:55 I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." 28:01 You see giving is God's way of helping us 28:05 develop a spirit of thankfulness, 28:07 a spirit of appreciation. 28:08 A spirit that revels in and he's joyful about 28:12 all good things that God gives us. 28:15 That joy comes from giving, not just getting. 28:20 It's putting our faith in Him 28:22 when days of trouble come instead of relying on our wits, 28:25 our savings account, or our paycheck. 28:28 It's about developing a deeper, more trusting, 28:32 more thankful relationship with our Creator. 28:35 So giving challenges our obedience. 28:40 Giving challenges our faith. 28:42 It challenges us to consistent responsibility. 28:47 But there's something more about 28:48 being faithful with our gifts to God. 28:51 It challenges us spiritually. 28:55 God says, "Lonnie, I'll guarantee you something." 29:00 So amazing, you won't believe it. 29:01 In fact, He says, "I want you to try this as an experiment. 29:05 I want you to just try Me for several months. 29:07 Test Me, prove Me, see if I'm a liar. 29:12 You set that side the tithe He said, set it aside. 29:16 Put it in a cookie jar somewhere on the mantle, 29:18 don't take it, don't steal from it, 29:20 don't borrow from it. 29:21 You try this for couple of months 29:23 set that tithe aside. 29:25 If it doesn't work, take it back. 29:28 I don't lie. 29:30 You see, He's saying Lon, I'm the best financial partner 29:33 you can possibly ever joint venture with. 29:36 Notice what He says in Malachi 3:10 29:39 Lonnie, He says, " Try Me now in this,'' 29:42 says the Lord of hosts, 29:44 "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven 29:47 and pour out for you such a blessing 29:48 that there will not be room enough to receive it." 29:53 You know, you go down to any Christian book store 29:55 and there are literally whole books 29:57 full of stories of people who have tithed faithfully 30:01 and they have seen God's blessings large and small. 30:04 Unbelievable some of these stories 30:06 but they're true. 30:08 Take Joe and his wife, they had been successful 30:13 Christian business people for years 30:16 but they sensed the call of God to sell their businesses 30:20 and that Joe should go to college 30:22 to prepare for gospel ministry. 30:24 Well, you'd expect that making a decision like that 30:27 and being faithful tithers, 30:29 well, they'd never encounter any financial problems, right? 30:32 God's gonna bless them. 30:34 No, friend, God doesn't promise 30:36 that we'll never have challenges to face. 30:39 He only promises to see us through them, 30:42 and to bless us as we face them. 30:44 Well, after arriving on the college campus, 30:47 Joe and his wife tried opening a brand new 30:49 little small clothing store business 30:52 but it didn't go too well. 30:54 In fact soon their meager savings 30:56 dwindled down to nothing. 30:59 In fact Joe even tried marking a few 31:00 leftover suits on sale from the store 31:03 but it seemed like he couldn't even give them away. 31:06 One particular Friday Joe and his wife realized 31:10 that they were finally flat broke. 31:12 Didn't have a dollar to their name. 31:15 Very little food in the house, no gas in the car, 31:18 and the electricity bill was overdue. 31:20 In fact the power company had given notice 31:22 they were coming out that Friday afternoon 31:24 to shut off the power 31:25 because they owed $29. 31:28 Now they had tried, they tried to get jobs at factories, 31:31 they tried by maybe doing menial labor 31:34 but had been turned down every time. 31:37 It was terrible, 31:38 they didn't know which way to turn. 31:40 They literally had lost everything. 31:43 All the capital they had built up 31:45 in their two businesses, all their savings gone. 31:50 And to be honest their faith was waning 31:52 without heat, no power. 31:55 It's cold outside, 31:56 and they had a little boy to take care of 31:58 and they didn't even have money for groceries. 32:02 So what did they do? 32:03 They did the only thing that they could do. 32:04 They drop down in their knees in their house 32:07 and they prayed, "Lord, please help us, or we perish." 32:14 Now this is the true story, within one hour, 32:17 someone knocked on the front door. 32:20 Well, Joe went to the door and found two guys 32:22 from the college standing there. 32:24 Hey, Joe, we hear you got some suits for sale here. 32:29 Well, they have given away 32:30 or sold a few that he had to know. 32:32 No, I don't have any left 32:33 but then suddenly he remembered. 32:34 Well, I guess I do have one left, 32:38 but I'm sorry it's an odd size, 32:40 I haven't been able to sell it. 32:41 It's a 39 short quad. 32:45 In case you don't remember those days, 32:46 a quad was a polyester suit with two pairs of pants 32:50 and a reversible vest. 32:52 Well, said the young lad, let me try it on. 32:55 I do take a short. 32:58 You know that suit fit him absolutely perfectly, 33:00 and he loved it and paid Joe $50 right there on the spot. 33:06 Of course it had originally retailed for over $200. 33:09 But Joe was absolutely happy. 33:12 In fact as Joe watched him 33:13 count out the 5, $10 bills from his wallet, 33:16 it was like the biggest sale of his life. 33:18 In fact he was so excited, 33:20 he could hardly keep from shouting 33:22 "Thank You Lord Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, with each bill. 33:28 What a thanksgiving session 33:29 Joe and his wife had in their own little living room there 33:32 weeping, praying, praising the Lord. 33:34 Their little boy must have wondered 33:35 what in the world was wrong with his parents, 33:38 but they were just overwhelmed 33:40 overcome with the sense of God's leading 33:42 in His provision for them. 33:45 Because you see Malachi goes further. 33:47 Malachi 3:11 says, 33:51 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, 33:55 so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, 33:58 nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,'' 34:01 says the Lord of hosts." 34:05 I know when they hear this topic many people say, 34:08 you know, no way, I just can't do it. 34:12 I can't give away 10% of my income? 34:14 I have to think of my children first. 34:18 Can I share a little personal testimony? 34:21 Jeannie and I know from firsthand experience it works. 34:26 We've proved Him. 34:28 My Dad and Mom with their five kids 34:32 on a preacher's salary, school tuition, 34:35 five sons in college, all of us at the same time. 34:38 You know there was no way, 34:39 mathematically that could work out 34:42 and I have to agree 34:43 that it was very hard for sometimes. 34:45 We had a lot of hand-me-downs in our family. 34:48 But my dear Dad and Mom they always just squeezed out 34:52 an honest tithe out of their scant little paycheck. 34:56 And folks a miracle happened. 34:59 God blessed, we never went in the hole, 35:02 we never went on welfare. 35:05 I don't know how but somehow, 35:06 God stretches nine-tenths of income 35:08 that's been tithed, 35:10 a whole lot further than ten tenths ever went. 35:14 And right here is God's financial secret to security. 35:19 In fact, do you know 35:22 that there is a lot of big-name businessmen out there 35:24 who discovered the Bible's secret to financial security? 35:28 And these big businesses, 35:30 they would not think of not paying tithe. 35:33 Have you ever brushed your teeth with Colgate? 35:36 William Colgate tithed, 35:37 the more tithed the better his business got. 35:40 J. C. Penney, have you heard of him? 35:42 How about Kellogg or Kraft or Kerr, Heinz 57, 35:48 Quaker Oats, Hershey, Baldwin Locomotive. 35:51 Alvin Dark, the big league baseball manager. 35:53 McNeilus, you see those big concrete cement 35:56 on the mudflaps, McNeilus, 35:57 how about I just saw one today 35:59 a truck riding down the freeway, 36:01 Little Debbies, McKee Bakery. 36:03 Now, I know some of these people, 36:05 I know them personally they're friends. 36:07 They all credit God's tithing plan 36:10 for their success in finances. 36:13 Let me talk about another gentlemen that I met. 36:15 His name is Ed. Lives in Oklahoma City. 36:18 He sells motor homes. 36:21 He came to know the Lord and decided 36:23 I should begin to tithe. 36:25 So he did, plus he took another leap of faith 36:28 by closing his business on the Sabbath. 36:31 I mean that was the busiest day of the season. 36:34 Do you know that he did more business in six days 36:38 than he ever did in seven days of the week, 36:43 Friend, God is a promise keeper. 36:46 One of our staff members at the Voice of Prophecy 36:48 comes from a family whose very successful business 36:51 demanded 7-day-a week involvement. 36:55 Well, they began coming to some meetings 36:56 just like these that you are attending. 36:58 They enrolled in a Bible course 37:00 which was much like discover back then. 37:02 And they became convinced 37:04 they ought to make some big changes 37:06 so that they could keep the Sabbath 37:07 and give a faithful tithe. 37:10 So they sold their business and they started paying tithe. 37:16 Then they went into another line of business 37:19 and almost went broke. 37:22 But does the Lord ever forget His faithful servants? 37:26 No, friend, no. 37:28 The Lord guided that family into another line of work, 37:31 and from then on that father worked five days a week 37:36 as a salesman for a company 37:37 that demanded six-days a weeks from their staff. 37:40 But guess what happened? You're absolutely right. 37:44 He became the top salesman 37:46 nearly every single month working five days weeks, 37:51 giving the Sabbath to the Lord and returning a faithful tithe. 37:57 Friend, I challenge you, God challenge you. 37:59 Check it out, Test God's promise in Malachi. 38:02 Try Him He says. He keeps His Word. 38:06 But He wants you to trust Him to give Him a chance. 38:12 You know when we really love someone, 38:15 how do we express our love? 38:18 We automatically give 38:21 because it's impossible to love without giving. 38:24 You take a little child picks up a little flower, 38:26 here mommy. 38:29 Friend, it's the same with God. 38:31 If we love Him, we'll cheerfully, gladly, 38:35 and generously demonstrate we love Him 38:39 that we've been cured of the cancer of selfishness. 38:44 No one learned that lesson of what selfishness 38:47 with money can do to a person 38:50 more than John D. Rockefeller, Sr. 38:55 As a boy John D. Rockefeller was a strong 38:58 and husky as anybody else. 39:00 But when he entered business, 39:01 he drove himself harder than any slave by a whip. 39:05 Man what a workaholic. 39:07 By the time John D. Rockefeller was 33 39:10 he made his first million dollars. 39:13 By staying awake nights and pouring it on 39:14 he controlled at 43 years of age 39:16 the biggest business in the world. 39:19 At 53 he was the richest man on the earth 39:22 and the world's only billionaire. 39:26 But for all this John D. Rockefeller 39:28 lost his health. 39:29 He developed a strange disease called alopecia, 39:32 where your hair falls out from your head, 39:34 your eyelashes, your eyebrows. 39:37 I mean John D. Rockefeller looked absolutely awful. 39:40 His own biographer said he looked like a mummy. 39:44 You know what his weekly income was? 39:47 A million dollars a week. 39:50 But his digestion was so bad 39:52 he could only eat crackers and milk. 39:55 Like Scrooge, John D. was a hermit. 39:57 Lived in solitary confinement, no friends, no acquaintances. 40:01 Only lots of enemies, people that he's crushed 40:05 and ground into the dust in his lust 40:06 to make bigger profits. 40:08 In fact in the Pennsylvania oilfields, 40:10 the men he'd made paupers there hanged him in effigy. 40:13 He was hated. 40:15 In fact he had to have bodyguards day and night. 40:17 His wealth was a nightmare. 40:20 He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. 40:21 All he did was worry. His wealth was smothering him. 40:26 Well, living on just crackers and milk, 40:30 his medical prognosis was that John D. Rockefeller 40:33 wouldn't live another year. 40:35 In fact the newspapers had his obituary written 40:37 and ready in their files. 40:40 It was pathetic. Then something happened. 40:46 One sleepless night as he lay awake worrying, 40:50 he made a startling discovery. 40:53 He wouldn't be able to take one thin 40:56 dime with him to the next world. 40:58 Oh, that nearly killed him right there. 41:01 Oh, did he despair? 41:02 All of those riches, 41:03 all of those dreams they meant nothing. 41:07 For the first time in his life he recognized that money 41:11 wasn't a commodity to be hoarded, 41:13 but something to be shared for the benefit of others. 41:18 And suddenly the light of truth went on, 41:20 and John D. Rockefeller Sr. began transforming his money 41:26 into blessings for others. 41:29 He helped worthy causes. 41:30 He established the Rockefeller Foundation. 41:32 He showered money on universities, 41:34 hospitals, and missions, 41:36 and millions on the underprivileged. 41:39 His money helped rid the South of its greatest economic 41:43 and medical scourge, hookworm. 41:46 You folks in this auditorium here in Columbia, 41:48 John D. Rockefeller helped us out. 41:51 In fact every time we're saved by an injection for penicillin, 41:55 we can thank John D, because his contributions 41:57 aided in the discovery of this miracle drug. 42:00 Millions are saved today from malaria, 42:03 TB, diphtheria for the same reason. 42:05 In fact folks the world was blessed 42:08 when John D. changed his thinking 42:10 from getting to giving. 42:14 And guess what happened to old John D. 42:16 when he began thinking outwardly? 42:20 A miracle. He didn't die. 42:24 He began to sleep, to eat, to enjoy life. 42:28 In fact he started to feel great, felt refreshed. 42:31 He should have died at 53. 42:34 But he started to practice one of God's eternal laws. 42:37 In Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given to you: 42:42 good measure, pressed down, 42:44 shaken together, and running over." 42:47 John D. Rockefeller celebrated birthday number 54, 42:50 then number 55, then number 56, number 57, 42:54 number 58 then 68, then 78, then 88. 42:59 He lived to be 98 years old. 43:03 You know modern psychiatry 43:05 is just now catching up to this philosophy of the Bible 43:08 that living is not just 43:10 well, whoever dies with the most toys wins. 43:14 It's not just grabbing but giving. 43:18 And, friend, God promises five special promises 43:23 when you begin by giving to Him. 43:25 Five promises for our good stewardship. 43:28 He says, He'll bless our Property, 43:31 he'll bless our Life. He'll bless our Time. 43:34 He'll bless our Talents. 43:36 And he'll bless especially our Tithe Money. 43:39 Proverbs 3:9, 10 says, 43:42 "Honor the Lord with thy substance, 43:44 and with the first fruits of thine increase. 43:48 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, 43:51 and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." 43:55 Friend, why not step out in faith 43:57 and joint venture with God. 43:59 Friend, He invites you to try it. 44:02 Just Experiment with it. Prove Him. 44:05 Lord, I'm going to take You up on your challenge. 44:09 I'm going to test You in this area of stewardship, 44:12 including tithing. 44:14 Friend, it's a partnership incredible. 44:17 Tell him, Lord, I choose 44:20 to place You first in my finances 44:22 and therefore in every area of my life. 44:27 If that's your choice, quietly tell God about it 44:32 during this song before we pray. 44:36 Something more than gold for the Master 44:44 Something more than gifts to appease 44:50 There is only one thing that you alone can bring 44:57 There is only one gift that will please 45:04 All He wants is you 45:10 No one else will do 45:17 Not just a part He wants all of your heart. 45:25 All He wants 45:28 Is all of you 45:33 All He wants is you. 45:43 Let's pray together. 45:45 Lord, we'd like to make a covenant with you today. 45:50 We'd like to enter into a partnership incredible 45:52 to consecrate and dedicate our entire selves, 45:56 our homes, our families, our businesses, 45:59 everything, it's Yours. 46:02 From now on but we're just managers 46:07 now Lord, You promised in return to give us 46:11 joy and peace and to open the windows of heaven 46:15 smiling down heaven's choicest blessings on us. 46:19 So here we are I wonder how many would like to say Lord, 46:25 I've heard your amazing challenge 46:28 and I'm gonna test You. 46:30 Help me to try consistently 46:32 and regularly to return what's rightfully Yours. 46:36 My goods, my life, my time, 46:40 my talents and my tithe 10% 46:45 wherever you are watching or listening 46:47 would you just raise your hand to heaven 46:48 and God will see your hand, I may not see it 46:51 but He wants to accept that commitment 46:54 so Lord help us. 46:57 May our consecration be complete without reservation, 47:02 we do this in the name of Jesus 47:04 not only because we seek Your blessing 47:07 but Lord because You have promised. 47:13 I want you to take your response card right now, 47:16 wherever you are located the row captains 47:18 will pass these down in the baskets. 47:21 I want you to make a commitment here, 47:22 a covenant between you and God. 47:24 This is not a promise to me that first response notice. 47:29 It says, I believe God wants me 47:31 to consecrate my entire life to Him. 47:35 Check that off if that's a prayer 47:37 that you would like to concentrate 47:38 your entire life to Jesus. 47:41 Number two is a little bit more specific, 47:43 a little bit more scary. 47:45 "I desire to become a faithful steward 47:48 of my goods, life, time, talents, 47:53 and I want to return a faithful tithe." 47:56 Please space that check there as Joey sings again. 48:01 All He wants is you, 48:07 No one else will do 48:14 Not just a part 48:17 He wants all of your heart. 48:22 All He wants is all of you 48:29 All He wants is you 48:39 Let's close with prayer. 48:40 Heavenly Father, would you accept our commitment 48:44 and this consecration to go into partnership with You. 48:48 Because we pray it in Jesus' name, 48:51 we claim His promises, amen. 48:55 I want you to take that response card right now 48:57 and please make sure it gets into the container, 48:59 the row captains will pick these up. 49:02 Thank you for putting your card into the container right now. 49:07 We have a very special Discover Bible lesson 49:10 that you must make sure you pick up as you leave today. 49:13 It's the one on the secret of growth through sharing. 49:18 Please, get your Discover Bible lesson, 49:19 there's others too on other topics. 49:21 If this is new to you, ask your instructors 49:23 there in your local hosts 49:25 the Discover Bible School lessons. 49:27 Now, next week this Voice or Prophecy speaks meetings 49:31 they continue in your area 49:34 and once a week for the next five weeks or more. 49:37 Same time, same location for you 49:40 at all of our downlink sites. 49:42 Every week for five more subjects. 49:44 You'll enjoy the same powerful message with the same graphics, 49:48 same materials with your local instructors 49:50 and pastors speakers maybe some evangelists, some laymen. 49:54 Friend, I know, you will not want to miss a single topic. 49:57 For example, Secrets of the Ancient Scrolls. 50:02 You're gonna have an amazing story 50:03 about how we got our Bible. 50:05 And then the subject of When the Smoke Clears, 50:08 a clear Bible study on the topic of hell. 50:14 And then there's a prophecy in Revelation Chapter 13 50:16 that brings the United States in the prophecy, 50:18 that one is called Let Freedom Ring. 50:22 Another one Set Free by the Truth, 50:24 the prophecy about God's true church 50:26 and finally another book of prophecy, 50:28 The Battle for the Throne, 50:30 looks again into Daniel Chapter 7. 50:33 And then after that's completed in most areas 50:36 right where you are attending right now, 50:38 you are going to be introduced to a brand new 50:40 exciting series of Bible studies called 50:42 Color Coded Chain Bible Market. 50:46 Now it's one of the most handy ways to mark your Bibles 50:49 and study truth comparing scripture with scripture 50:52 text on all the same subjects 50:54 that you can refer to as well as share with your friends. 50:57 You mark your Bible. 50:59 By the way this book has just come out. 51:02 It's available on our websites too 51:04 but you're gonna be given this book, 51:05 it's my latest book what the Bible says about 51:09 and it's color coded Bible marking. 51:12 One of the best classes I've ever taught, 51:14 packed out www.vop.com if you need more information. 51:22 I want to thank you for joining us for each of this 51:23 Voice of Prophecy speaks seminars. 51:27 Friend, may God bless you. 51:30 And remember, friend, to say at the close of our broadcast, 51:33 the journey through life, God really does love you. 51:40 Goodbye. |
Revised 2015-03-19