Breakthrough and Obedience - Prosperity With a Purpose Series, Bill Johnson Sermon | Bethel Church

0:00This is [music] the time to see some

0:01significant change and breakthrough. But

0:03I'm not interested in just seeing people

0:05want to be blessed. I want to see people

0:07that declare as [music] Lord and will

0:09demonstrate with every fiber of their

0:11being the lordship of Jesus and from

0:13that see what measure of blessing the

0:16Lord would entrust into our lives so

0:18that we can further demonstrate [music]

0:20this is what happens under the lordship

0:22of a good king.

0:26Good morning.

0:27Still morning, right? Yep. Yep. Good.

0:30I've had a real anticipation for

0:33this particular series for very

0:37specifically for at least 6 months. I

0:38think maybe

0:40maybe as much as 8 months.

0:42And

0:43we're calling it prosperity with a

0:45purpose.

0:48And I feel like I feel like the Lord is

0:51going to release something over us in

0:53this particular season

0:56that is honestly is unprecedented

0:59at least in our life.

1:00In our life together.

1:02The Lord's been teaching us things

1:04through the years.

1:05I'm I'm I get so encouraged, so thrilled

1:08with just the level of

1:11generosity and servitude that that you

1:13that we as a people

1:15have chosen to live by. It's such an

1:18encouraging thing to me.

1:20But I I've had this conviction in my

1:22heart that the Lord was going to deposit

1:26something, release a grace for increase

1:28that we've never seen before in this

1:31measure.

1:32And so anyway, it's been on my heart for

1:34quite a while. I had an experience this

1:37spring. I actually had it twice. It may

1:40have been three times. I think it was

1:41three times, but doesn't really matter.

1:44I I I have had different encounters with

1:46the Lord

1:48throughout my life. Specifically, I had

1:53a three-day period where the Lord really

1:54visited me in the night.

1:56And uh and I

1:59what preceded that was the fact that I

2:01would I would pray literally day and

2:02night and ask the Lord for more. And

2:05really what happened was I it I became

2:07so obsessed, if you will, with this one

2:09thing that God would touch me in a more

2:13deep deeply more deeply more profoundly

2:15than I'd ever experienced before. I

2:17would actually wake myself up in the

2:19night praying. I didn't wake up to pray.

2:21Of course, I've done that before. But I

2:24would be praying while I was sleeping so

2:26forcefully it would wake me up. And uh

2:29and of course

2:31Song of Solomon

2:32says, "Though I sleep, yet my heart is

2:35awake." So, we know that the spirit man

2:37doesn't sleep. And there are sometimes

2:40he becomes so energetic and so full of

2:42activity that we wake up in the process.

2:45Well, I had an experience this spring

2:47that I had never had before. This This

2:49was brand new for me. I actually woke up

2:51twice and I think it was three times. I

2:53woke up teaching what I'm going to talk

2:55to you about today. I actually woke up I

2:57woke myself up because I was teaching.

3:00Uh that that's almost scary. I I I don't

3:02want to become that obsessed with with

3:04the word that I wake myself up sleeping.

3:06When I go to bed, I like to sleep. I

3:07just want to sleep. I I I love prophetic

3:10dreams and all that, but I I'm there to

3:13sleep. And so, I

3:16one one comedian said he says, "When I

3:19go to bed he says, I want to sleep." He

3:20says, "I I don't want to go to bed and

3:22find out I have to build a go-cart with

3:23my landlord, you know." So, that's

3:26>> [laughter]

3:28>> So,

3:29that's that's that's my heart. So,

3:31anyway, I I woke up uh

3:33two or three times

3:35teaching what I'm going to share with

3:36you today.

3:38Last week we started this particular

3:40series, Prosperity with a Purpose. We

3:42started it and I talked to you about the

3:44mission because it was a missions week

3:46for us and and it's a huge part of our

3:48life, part of our culture is that we

3:51live with a conviction that the light

3:53shines the farthest, shines the

3:54brightest at home. It's not an option of

3:56far away or near, it's both at the same

3:58time. It's both and. And so, we've made

4:01this commitment as a church family to

4:03make sure that we serve well here, serve

4:05each other well, but give ourselves to

4:07the nations. So, we do that without

4:09apology and actually with great, great

4:10joy.

4:11But today what I'm going to talk to you

4:13about is I'm going to talk to you

4:14actually about the tithe. The tithe.

4:17And I've got I've got an approach on

4:19this subject that I want to share with

4:22you. Some of you

4:24I'm

4:25Some of you I'm sure fully embrace the

4:27concept of tithe. Other people have been

4:29taught that it's a part of the Old

4:30Testament law. And so, what we're going

4:32to do is we're just going to kind of go

4:33through as much line upon line as I know

4:36how. This is probably the only message

4:38you'll ever hear that I could have

4:39actually put on a

4:41PowerPoint. Me and PowerPoint don't get

4:44along.

4:45I I I'm not that linear. I I don't I I

4:48don't I'm not that structured in my in

4:50my presentation. So, I'm I'm a little

4:52bit all over the wall and hopefully we

4:53can add it together at the end and and

4:55get something, but

4:57but today I am going to go at this a

4:59little bit more systematic.

5:02Let's start with with this

5:05one concept.

5:08Because there is so much error

5:11in Christendom

5:14on the subject of prosperity.

5:16In some circles it's a forbidden

5:18subject, in others it's

5:20it's resisted.

5:22Um because people have made the mistake

5:26of equating spirituality with wealth or

5:28material goods, income, etc.

5:31It's a great deception to think that any

5:33of our lives could be measured

5:34spiritually by what we own, our income,

5:38etc. That's a great deception.

5:41But it can also be said that the Lord

5:45will often use natural things to reveal

5:48what he's doing in the spiritual. Paul

5:50taught this concept. First the

5:52spiritual, excuse me, first the natural,

5:54then the spiritual in Corinthians.

5:57And there's this there's this concept in

5:59scripture

6:01that basically says

6:03um

6:05the

6:06the Lord is the one who makes rich. He's

6:09the one who adds prosperity.

6:11But he adds no sorrow to it. Now, think

6:13through this with me.

6:16Whenever blessing and increase is the

6:19result of pursuing something else,

6:23it is blessed and it has no sorrow.

6:27When prosperity is the result of

6:29pursuing prosperity, it will always cost

6:32us.

6:34Blessing and increase is supposed to be

6:37the result of correct priorities.

6:41Seek first the kingdom of God.

6:43All these things will be added to you.

6:46So, the scripture teaches that there is

6:48a bounty, there is a blessing, but it's

6:51supposed to be because of pursuing

6:54kingdom values first and foremost. And

6:57then blessing comes as a result. The

6:59book of Proverbs is very important to

7:01me. It's very important to me always,

7:02but in this season especially on the

7:05series on Solomon that we we did

7:07together and now again in this context.

7:10And so proverb has these these two

7:13truths that are the kind of held in

7:15tension that are important for us today.

7:18One is it says wisdom, understanding is

7:22to be pursued instead of wealth.

7:26All right, say this with me. Wisdom

7:28is to be pursued

7:30instead of wealth.

7:32All right. On the other hand, it says

7:35those who pursue wisdom will become

7:37wealthy.

7:44Does your

7:44>> brain hurt yet?

7:47Those who pursue the wealth are going to

7:48have issues cuz it always comes at a

7:50price, but those who pursue kingdom end

7:53up with a blessing that as long as they

7:56maintain the core value of the kingdom,

7:59that blessing can increase and it will

8:00have no sorrow to it.

8:03Picture this. Some of this I'll be able

8:05to do a lot better in the next couple of

8:07weeks, but today I have a very specific

8:09subject. Picture with me uh like three

8:11foundations on this table. One would be

8:13kingdom, the other would be political

8:15system, which is humanism, and the other

8:17would be um the religious system.

8:20Religious religious system has a god as

8:23central in value, but he's impersonal

8:25powerless. There's no presence or

8:26relationship involved. Political system

8:28is humanism, man is at the center. In

8:31the middle is kingdom. The kingdom of

8:33God has a king.

8:35Its foundation is the absolute lordship

8:38of Jesus. When we come to Christ, there

8:40is no trial size.

8:43I remember years ago hearing uh hearing

8:46uh people say just try Jesus. Winkie

8:48Pratney said it best. He says, "You

8:50can't try Jesus. He's not on trial, we

8:52are."

8:54There's no trial size you get in the

8:55mail that you taste of Jesus and say,

8:57"Oh yeah, this is good. Let's go for

8:58some more." It doesn't come that way.

9:00He's absolute lord. And so when we build

9:03on the lordship of Jesus, we build

9:05something that does not have sorrow. But

9:08when we build

9:10at the same time on let's say the

9:12religious system. The religious system

9:13is not based on a relationship, it's

9:15based on performance. How many of you

9:17know the religious system still wants

9:19you to have a good family?

9:20>> Right. Yeah.

9:22>> The political system wants you to have a

9:24good family, yes? All right. Kingdom

9:26wants you to have a good family. What's

9:27the difference? Is when you establish

9:30that value and that priority on the

9:32lordship of Jesus, everything he adds

9:34has no sorrow.

9:37>> That's right. Very good. But when you

9:39build on these other ways of thinking,

9:42these other values, it looks the same,

9:44but it's counterfeit.

9:46And the problem is it will always cost

9:48you.

9:51It doesn't take

9:53you know, a rocket scientist to look

9:55around the world, to read the magazines,

9:56the books, and to find the people who

9:58have {quote} {unquote} made it

10:00economically, and yet they are in

10:02constant absolute crisis as they're on

10:05their third and fourth marriage and this

10:06crisis, that crisis, addiction to this,

10:08addiction to that because

10:11they pursued one thing and got it, but

10:13they had to pay a price to get it.

10:15That's not the blessing of the Lord cuz

10:17the Lord blesses, he adds a favor, a

10:20wealth, a richness of life that has no

10:23sorrow with it.

10:29I want you to open your Bibles with me

10:31to a couple uh portions of scripture.

10:34One is we're going to go right to the

10:35heart of the matter in Malachi chapter

10:373,

10:39and then I want you to go if you will to

10:40Luke chapter 16. Malachi 3,

10:43Luke 16.

10:47Malachi or Malachi as some have called

10:49him, the Italian prophet.

10:58And I want you to I want you to look at

11:00two um um

11:02themes that you will find old and new

11:04testament.

11:06First of all, it's probably good just to

11:07make the statement right here and now.

11:09Everyone that has ever been saved has

11:12only been saved through grace. The law

11:14never saved anyone.

11:16I I can't take the time to take you

11:18through the scripture right now, but

11:20it's true in the Old Testament. Abraham

11:22was considered righteous because of

11:23faith and we'll make reference to him in

11:25a in a moment. All right. Malachi

11:27chapter 3, verse 8.

11:31Will a man rob God? It is It's good.

11:34This is a nice mellow

11:36uh word here that's just meant to

11:38encourage us, all right? "Will a man rob

11:41God? Yet you have robbed me.

11:43But you say, 'In what way have we robbed

11:45you?' In tithes and offerings. You are

11:48cursed with a curse, for you have robbed

11:51me, even this whole nation.

11:53Bring all the tithes into the

11:55storehouse, that there may be food in my

11:57house.

11:58And try me now in this, says the Lord of

12:01hosts, if I will not open for you the

12:03windows of heaven

12:05and pour out

12:06uh for you such a blessing that there

12:09will not be room enough to receive it.

12:11And I will rebuke the devourer for your

12:14sakes, so that he will not destroy the

12:16fruit of the ground, nor shall the vine

12:18fail to bear fruit uh for you in the

12:21field, says the Lord of hosts. All

12:23right? Luke 16.

12:25I'm going to try to tie these two

12:26together, so

12:27make sure you see this in your own

12:29Bibles.

12:30Luke [clears throat] 16,

12:31um verse 10.

12:34"He who is faithful in what is least is

12:37faithful also in much.

12:39And he who is unjust in what is least is

12:42unjust also in much.

12:45Therefore, if you've not been faithful

12:48in the unrighteous mammon, who will

12:50commit to your trust true riches?

12:53If you've not been faithful in what is

12:55another man's, who will give you what is

12:58your own?" He then goes on to talk about

13:00not serving God and mammon. Mammon, it

13:03refers to money, but more specifically

13:05in this context, when he says you cannot

13:08serve God and mammon, is referring to a

13:11spirit being that works to influence the

13:15economics of the nations of the world.

13:16Mammon is personified in this

13:19illustration. So,

13:21if you don't know of a prevailing power

13:24or influence in a land, if you don't

13:27realize it's there, you won't live in

13:28opposite to it. If you don't live in

13:30opposite to it, you will fall prey to

13:32its influence. It doesn't mean it

13:34controls, it just means there's

13:35influence.

13:37>> Good.

13:38>> All right.

13:38So, here we have these two passages of

13:40scripture. I love with Jack Taylor. I

13:43wrote this down here recently. Jack

13:44Taylor said, uh

13:47So, you tithe, big deal. So, you're not

13:49robbing God.

13:53My my grandfather, I loved his approach.

13:55He

13:56He loved salt.

13:58He loved salt. And we'd sit at the

13:59dinner table, we'd go out to a

14:00restaurant, and he'd take the salt

14:02shaker, and

14:03and if it if it wasn't

14:05very generous, he liked a lot of salt on

14:07his food, probably too much, but anyway.

14:09I have followed his

14:12line of thinking a little bit.

14:13He'd pour salt on his food, and if it

14:15wasn't generous, he would put it down in

14:17frustration, and he would just mutter,

14:20"Tither."

14:21And finally, as I just a young young

14:24kid, you know, I said, "Grandpa, what do

14:26you mean, tither?" I asked him. I said,

14:28"What do you mean, tither?" He says,

14:29"Ah, it only gives what it has to."

14:34Malachi says you've robbed God because

14:35you withheld the tithe and the offering.

14:37Okay, first and foremost, the tithe

14:40means 10%. It's not 8%, it's not 15%,

14:43it's 10%.

14:45The The misconception has been that the

14:48tithe was given to us through the law.

14:51That is not true.

14:53The tithe was given to us through

14:55Abraham.

14:58Abraham in Genesis 14,

15:00Abraham tithed to Melchizedek.

15:04The Book of Hebrews describes

15:06Melchizedek as a type of Christ because

15:10as he is recorded in scripture, he has

15:12no beginning and no end. So, he is a

15:15prophetic picture of the coming Christ,

15:17and Abraham tithed to uh Melchizedek.

15:24The scripture teaches

15:26>> [clears throat]

15:26>> that those who are born again are

15:29actually the descendants of Abraham.

15:34It's in the book of Romans, it's in

15:36Galatians, it's throughout the

15:37scripture. It's a It's a fairly

15:39frequently um

15:42a

15:43developed a thought that the apostle has

15:46is that

15:47those who are descendants of Abraham are

15:49not just those who are born through that

15:52lineage. It's actually those who came

15:54into faith in Christ. Why? Abraham's son

15:57was Isaac. Isaac was a child of promise.

16:00Isaac was a miracle child. It was

16:02impossible for him to be born. Abraham's

16:05like 100 years old, Sarah was like 90,

16:08and she conceived, brought forth a son.

16:10It was an extraordinary miracle.

16:13In the same way, everyone who is born

16:15again, who puts their faith in Christ,

16:18is born of the spirit, and it's It's a

16:20prophetic prototype of the miracle of

16:22conversion. So, here's Abraham. He

16:25introduces the concept of the tithe, not

16:27the law. Moses came 400 years after

16:31Abraham.

16:33When he introduces the concept of the

16:35tithe, he is ratifying what has already

16:38existed.

16:40Abraham did it, his descendants did it.

16:43It's in Genesis 28 as well.

16:46So, Abraham took a tenth of his

16:49spoil of his income and gave it to

16:51Melchisedec Kisedec to give honor. So,

16:54now we come to Malachi Malachi.

16:57Malachi

16:59What is Malachi? Malachi is this amazing

17:02uh prophet that gives us something that

17:05is so filled with New Testament concept.

17:08It's in Malachi we have and the hearts

17:11of the fathers will be restored to the

17:13children. The hearts of the children to

17:15their parents. It's this New Testament

17:17prophetic decree and in it is the

17:19concept that has to do with financial

17:22economic breakthrough.

17:25In this passage in Malachi, he makes

17:27this statement. He says, "Test me." Now,

17:30there's I don't know any other area in

17:32in the Bible where we have been given

17:34not only permission but a command or

17:37invitation perhaps. An invitation to

17:40test God. I don't know any other area

17:42where it is not only permissible, it's

17:44encouraged to test God. It's in the

17:47realm of finances. Test me in this." And

17:50then he says, "And see if I will not

17:52open for you the windows of heaven pour

17:54out a blessing till there's no many no

17:56more need." How many of you realize that

17:58when the Bible talks about open heavens,

18:01it's not just talking about more money.

18:05Open heavens actually has to do with a

18:07release of the realm of God's rule, that

18:10outpouring of the spirit poured out upon

18:12his people and yes, it includes income.

18:15Yes, it includes health. Yes, it

18:17includes emotional strength. It includes

18:18all these things, but it's an actual

18:20visitation of God. And here's here's the

18:22remarkable thing. Is Malachi links

18:26natural obedience, tithe offering,

18:29with outpouring, with open heavens. What

18:32does Luke do? Luke 16. Jesus says,

18:37Jesus says, "If I don't know how to

18:39handle unrighteous mammon,

18:44if I don't know how to handle

18:45unrighteous mammon, who will entrust

18:48true riches to me?"

18:52If I don't know how to handle

18:53unrighteous mammon, who will entrust

18:55true riches? I used to think true riches

18:57meant more money.

18:59But when you think about it, that's not

19:01it at all. Nobody in this room is here

19:03for money. All of us are here because we

19:05have a hunger for true riches, the

19:07authentic, the real display of his

19:09presence, his power, using us the way we

19:12were created to be used. Significant

19:14impact on humanity, empowered by the

19:17Lord to do what's impossible for normal

19:19human being to do. Amen. We're here for

19:21that. We're here for the true riches.

19:23But what does he do?

19:24Malachi says, here's the tithe and the

19:27offering, it's linked to spiritual

19:30breakthrough. What does Jesus say in

19:32Luke 16? He says, here's the use of

19:34unrighteous mammon, it is linked to

19:37spiritual breakthrough, true riches.

19:40Some have taken that to an extreme,

19:42that's an another error. And that error

19:44would be that you can buy things from

19:47God.

19:48I mean, remember the guy in the book of

19:50Acts that tried to buy the anointing

19:52from Peter, and Peter just rebuked the

19:53guy. You can't buy it, but it's that

19:57that concept is is frighteningly close

20:00to the truth.

20:02You can't buy it from God, but you also

20:04can't go where you want to go without

20:05generosity.

20:10You can't buy it. You know, I've heard

20:12people take offerings, you know, if you

20:14give X amount of dollars, then

20:16I'll prophesy over you, or you'll have

20:17this breakthrough or that. No, that's

20:19nonsense. That's silly. Don't don't ever

20:21fall to that nonsense, because it's it's

20:23just not the Lord's. There's

20:25it it's it's not that way. It's not

20:27Never let anybody manipulate anyone. I

20:29don't care if I stand up here and if I

20:31sound manipulative, shut it down,

20:34because it's never what the Lord is

20:36doing. The Lord is inviting us into a

20:38partnership where we see natural

20:41obedience bringing spiritual release.

20:44And so, Malachi links natural obedience,

20:48tithe offering, with spiritual release.

20:51Jesus links the two together as well.

20:53And he says,

20:55if I don't know how to handle handle

20:57unrighteous mammon, how can I ever be

20:59entrusted with the true riches? And then

21:01he goes on, and he's he's he uses

21:02another point. He says, if you don't

21:04know how to handle that which is another

21:07person's

21:09who will entrust you that which is your

21:11own. Are you Are you thinking?

21:13Are you alive?

21:15Check your pulse. Yes. All right.

21:19Think through this this thought now. He

21:20says, "If I don't know how to handle

21:22that which belongs to somebody else,

21:25how can I be entrusted with something

21:27that will become my own?"

21:29Interesting because the tithe is not

21:32mine.

21:35Big Joyce said it best. He said, "The

21:36tithe is our rent payment for living on

21:38his planet breathing his air."

21:41>> [laughter]

21:42>> And you don't want to be evicted.

21:48I like that approach.

21:50It's my rent payment. It's the concept

21:52biblically is the tithe is actually not

21:55mine.

21:56And here's the crazy thing about every

21:57one of our lives, those who tithe, those

21:59who don't, is you never keep it.

22:02You never keep it.

22:04A devourer has legal access

22:07to tithes that are not given to where he

22:09says to give them.

22:10And so the devourer comes in so many

22:12different ways. The car breaks down,

22:14this happens, that happens. The point is

22:16it's not the Lord cursing you. It's just

22:18when we disobey the word of the Lord, we

22:20step outside of the realm of safety and

22:22protection, and we experience some of

22:24the things we were never meant to

22:26experience. Does it Does that make sense

22:27to you? All right. So here's this here's

22:30this interesting word that open heavens

22:33as a result of a tithe and offering

22:35and true riches being released. And not

22:37only that,

22:38things being released to us that God

22:40always intended us to have

22:42in and for ourselves.

22:45Now, that concept I'm going to deal with

22:46more in in a next week or two.

22:51But this is what we're all head when I

22:53have more time.

22:56Paul said,

22:57"The Lord gives us

23:00bread

23:01to eat

23:03and seed to sow.

23:05Very important concept to have these two

23:08things if you could just think about

23:09your economic life.

23:11As fact is true with revelation that God

23:13gives you, it's true with friendships,

23:14it's true everything. But here let's

23:16just take money. This was the context he

23:18said it. He said the Lord gives us bread

23:20to eat and seed to plant, seed to sow.

23:26Some of what is given to me is seed and

23:30seed is be planted for a future harvest.

23:34For me to eat my seed is to destroy my

23:38future.

23:39It's foolish to eat seed.

23:43It's equally foolish to plant bread.

23:48And I've planted bread. It doesn't grow.

23:51It just gets dirty and wet.

23:54There's nothing good that happens from

23:55it.

23:56What's the point? Is some of what the

23:59Lord provides, we have this concept

24:01sometimes in the kingdom

24:04that everything we have we're supposed

24:06to give away.

24:07That's just not always that's not always

24:08the truth. The Lord will lead people

24:10into a season where everything is given

24:12and they are supported through

24:14supernatural supply. But I remind you

24:16Israel in the wilderness

24:20had to trust God entirely daily for

24:23daily provision, for water, for cooling

24:26in the heat, for uh heat in the cold, uh

24:29constant uh the clothes they didn't have

24:31any place to buy clothes so the clothes

24:33actually had to last for that 40-year

24:35period of time which miraculously did.

24:37It was all the miracles, catch this, all

24:40the miracles in the wilderness were to

24:42sustain them. All the miracles in the

24:45promised land were to advance them.

24:49It was no longer miracles to sustain, it

24:52was miracles to position them for

24:54influence. Yeah.

24:57And in this room we have people that are

25:00in wilderness experience daily trusting

25:02for supply. That's the only thing that

25:04you know, and then there are people that

25:06the Lord has brought you through that

25:07season of being without. So, now you can

25:10be entrusted with.

25:16Remember what he said? He said, "If I

25:18don't know how to handle unrighteous

25:19mammon." And then he says,

25:22"How can I be if I don't know how to

25:23handle that which is another's?

25:25How can I be entrusted with something

25:27that is my own?"

25:29Where was God taking Israel? Through

25:34a season where they own nothing

25:37into a season where they inherited and

25:39then could use that for kingdom

25:41advancement.

25:47What is the training for the promised

25:49land?

25:51It's going without.

25:56All right.

25:57The Lord is always taking us to

25:59something. I I grew up thinking that the

26:01wilderness experience of the daily

26:02ongoing provision of the Lord, the

26:04miraculous supply

26:06was the ultimate in the Christian life.

26:09It's not.

26:12It's training for the ultimate.

26:16The ultimate is to be able to work

26:18wholeheartedly with both natural and

26:20supernatural realms. And this is what I

26:23hope to develop in a week or two.

26:24Natural supernatural realms, so that we

26:27are positioned for advancement, truly to

26:30serve society by shaping culture, by

26:32drawing from resources to help people

26:35that are in great need.

26:36It's It's the favor of the Lord that

26:39positions us to do those kinds of

26:40things.

26:42So, how does that relate to the

26:43disciples?

26:44Well, it's kind of a strange

26:46illustration example, if you will. The

26:48disciples, I mean, you know the

26:49disciples left everything to follow

26:50Jesus.

26:52Yes? All right.

26:53Trust me, they did.

26:56And before he left, what did he tell

26:58them? He said, "You know, if you have

26:59two coats, sell one and get a sword."

27:04That's got to be one of the weirdest

27:05parts of the gospel. I don't know if

27:06you've thought much about that.

27:08Why would Jesus have them get a sword?

27:11Especially considering the fact they

27:13can't use it.

27:17I mean, the one time they try to use it,

27:18Peter brings it out, whacks off an ear,

27:20Jesus has to put the ear back, and then

27:23rebukes him because, you know, you can't

27:25If you live by the sword, you die by the

27:26sword. That's not how you're supposed to

27:28live. Why would he have him own a sword?

27:32It's just like the Lord to teach you now

27:34how to possess by owning something you

27:37have no use for.

27:42He trained them without to know how to

27:45steward what they have.

27:47What they can be given. The point isn't

27:50to position him for, you know, for

27:52mansions on the hill

27:53that the I'm not aiming at that.

27:56Although some will be given that because

27:58their role in society

28:00is from that hilltop mansion, so to

28:03speak, that will influence a segment of

28:05society none of the rest of us can

28:07touch.

28:09I'm telling you the truth.

28:11What the Lord does is he provides a

28:13bounty and a blessing for each of us to

28:16completely, totally fulfill our place

28:19and assignment in life. Not one better

28:21than the other. They're just all

28:23different. And to be able to fulfill

28:25that role with everything we need to do

28:28it well and to become the servant in

28:30that environment.

28:32I have a dream where this body of

28:34believers will be a people that own

28:37their own homes, live without any debt,

28:40and are constantly positioned to be able

28:42to resource what God is doing here and

28:45around the world. A people that live

28:47with that kind of kingdom value that

28:48literally wake up in the morning to live

28:51as an influence through economy, through

28:54words, through practical service to be

28:56able to impact the course of history as

28:58a group of servants. We are learning

29:00that. That doesn't come through a

29:01lottery mentality that just says someday

29:04everything will be different. No, it's a

29:06process that we've said yes to. And that

29:09process starts with this here that says

29:12Jesus Christ is Lord. Remember the

29:14foundations here? These three kingdoms,

29:16the religious system, political system,

29:17and the kingdom. The foundation of this

29:19kingdom is the kingdom has a king. And

29:22the concept is the lordship of Jesus.

29:24And anything we build on it, does this

29:27make sense to you? As we build on this

29:29lordship of Jesus, what do we build on

29:31it? Well, the development of family

29:32life, healthy business, healthy

29:34community. And we build and we build as

29:36long as it stays true to the foundation,

29:39it will have no sorrow with it. But the

29:41moment we compromise and build on

29:43another foundation, we experience

29:44heartbreak. What's the point? Only that

29:47which is founded on this kingdom value

29:50can endure, whether you live on Wall

29:53Street as a broker or you're in the

29:55Middle East suffering persecution and

29:57the threat daily of being martyred for

29:59your faith.

30:01Anything that's built on this core value

30:04of Jesus absolute lordship can stand.

30:08But when we compromise this and we start

30:11building through the political system,

30:14through through the manipulation of

30:15fearing man and

30:17that whole deal, the whole religious

30:18system where we try to gain power and

30:20persuasion over people and we try to

30:22build family or business through these

30:24things, what happens is we start

30:25building things that are not

30:27transferable to the church in crisis in

30:30the Middle East.

30:34They're not transferable. Why? Because

30:36they picked up values of another

30:37kingdom. And one of the big complaints

30:39of the years, and rightfully so, is many

30:42of the teachings on money only have to

30:44do with North America.

30:46Well, anytime they anytime we forget the

30:49the foundation, the basics of our walk

30:52with Christ, he is absolute Lord.

30:55Absolute Lord.

30:57He comes to be God. There's no trial

30:59size. I give myself completely to him.

31:02That is the rock-bottom basics of the

31:04gospel. And as that anything that gets

31:07built on that

31:08How many of you know, you're not facing

31:10the threat of dying today because you

31:12came here? Most of you anyway.

31:17So, what happens? So, we're able to

31:18build through our life in God, healthy

31:21family, what it's like to live in

31:23community, to have successful

31:25businesses, to draw from those

31:26businesses to impact the course of

31:28history. We have all these things we're

31:30able to build. And as long as we build

31:32on that one core value, anything we

31:34learn is transferable in any other

31:35culture.

31:39Did I lose you, or is that all right?

31:41You're all right?

31:44There's this passage in Matthew 22

31:48that uh

31:51is important for us.

31:54Verse 17 of Matthew 22

31:58Tell us therefore,

32:00"What do you think? Is it lawful to pay

32:02taxes to Caesar or not?"

32:04Jesus perceived their wickedness and

32:06said, "Why do you test me, you

32:08hypocrites?"

32:11Jesus just had a way with words.

32:14"Show me the tax money." So, they

32:16brought him a denarius.

32:19And he said to them, "Whose image and

32:21inscription is this?" They said to him,

32:23"Caesar's."

32:24And he said to them, "Render

32:27The word there is actually pay.

32:30Render therefore to Caesar the things

32:31that are Caesar's, and to God the things

32:34that are God's."

32:35What is the subject? The subject is

32:37money.

32:39And Jesus teaches

32:42that part of what you have isn't yours,

32:43it belongs to Caesar. Give it to him.

32:46And part of what you have isn't yours,

32:48it belongs to God. Give it to him.

32:51The only concept that the Jew had to

32:53work with with this idea that part of

32:56what I have actually belongs to God is

32:58the concept of the tithe.

33:00It is not a give is not a gift.

33:02It is a payment

33:04that gives honor to him that

33:06acknowledges I believe that Jesus Christ

33:08is Lord.

33:10Some will ask, you know, do you tithe on

33:12the

33:15the net or the gross?

33:18What size of blessing do you want?

33:23I I think there's only one answer, but

33:24I'll let you figure it out.

33:28So, here we have this this concept of

33:31tithes and offering.

33:34Here's what I Here's what I find so

33:36fascinating for me in my own life

33:38is that

33:40this idea of being able to take

33:42something uh

33:44I I've shared this with you in the past,

33:45I know, but I I heard years ago a a a

33:48little show on TV where they talked

33:50about they said it's hard to find a $20

33:52bill in our country

33:54ooh, falling from heaven.

33:57Uh it's hard to find Thanks. It's hard

33:59to find a $20 bill in our country that

34:01doesn't have traces of cocaine on it.

34:05The whole point is is the money that's

34:07in our pockets, the money that is in our

34:09accounts have been used for some good

34:12things that were good, healthy,

34:13righteous, uh wonderful, some things

34:16that were very corrupt and very bad. The

34:18whole point is is no matter what it was

34:20used for, when it's outside of my hands,

34:22it is now in my hands.

34:24And as it being in my hands, I'm the

34:26general of an army and these are my

34:28soldiers.

34:29And I send them into battle. I

34:31commission them to establish a course

34:35for history to follow. I send them into

34:38battle that they might provoke and bring

34:39about change. It's amazing that

34:42something so temporal at one time in its

34:45in this bill's history, it was used for

34:48corruption, for bad things. Right now

34:49it's in my hands. I take that which has

34:52been called unrighteous mammon, I bring

34:54it into the kingdom, and I actually get

34:56to make a difference in the course of

34:57history and invest in people's lives.

35:00And it doesn't matter whether this is

35:01being used to buy clothing for my

35:03grandkids or whether it's being used to

35:06support a missionary in Afghanistan. It

35:08doesn't matter. The whole point is it is

35:10seed that I have the privilege of

35:13sowing, and as it is planted, it has an

35:16effect on the world where it's planted,

35:18and then it has an effect in my world.

35:20It brings something back into my life

35:22that I couldn't have gotten any other

35:23way.

35:25So, Abraham

35:27is actually the source of the tithe. It

35:29was not Moses.

35:31Abraham in Genesis 14

35:34tithed to Melchizedek.

35:36His own son tithed in Genesis 28. The

35:40point being, Abraham is called the

35:43father of our faith.

35:46Every believer is considered to be a

35:48descendant of Abraham, all right? Now,

35:52a descendant of Abraham is one who is in

35:56this family by faith.

35:58The Jews were arguing with Jesus on this

36:01concept of who really was a descendant

36:03of Abraham.

36:05And Jesus made this statement in John 8.

36:07I think it's verse

36:0939. Could be 20 It's in that area.

36:12Left side of the page, about 3rd of the

36:13way down.

36:15Jesus makes this statement. He says,

36:18"If you're descendants of Abraham, do

36:21the deeds of Abraham.

36:25Live the life that he lived. Do what he

36:27did.

36:30And then he went on to say, "But you

36:32guys are liars

36:35and you're like your father, the

36:37deceiver." So, in other words,

36:39he's saying,

36:41"You're living like your father,

36:43who the one who's really your father,

36:45not the one you claim to be your

36:46father." What's the point? Is it if,

36:49{quote} {unquote}, "Abraham is our

36:51father, then the deeds of Abraham must

36:53be seen in through our life."

36:55>> That's good.

36:56>> I don't mean they earn us something. I

36:57mean they are consistent with our

36:59confession.

37:01Our confession of faith, do the deeds of

37:02Abraham.

37:03>> Yeah.

37:04>> What were the deeds of Abraham? They

37:06were the expressions of trust and honor

37:09and abandonment to the will and the

37:11purposes of God. Do the deeds of

37:14Abraham.

37:16>> Wow.

37:19>> Come on.

37:23>> I

37:24This is usually where I would start in a

37:26series like this. Last week we did

37:28missions.

37:34I've got a target.

37:36I don't even know how much this needs to

37:37be taught to you. I

37:40I I'm I'm impressed week after week

37:43after week with

37:44the radical obedience of the people in

37:46this house.

37:52But I've got this I've got this dream.

37:57This dream of

38:00every person being settled

38:04in their heart

38:05with who they are in God,

38:07their place in society, and their place

38:10of influence. Literally being successful

38:12in the assignment.

38:14Friend of mine shared an illustration

38:16years ago. How many of you remember when

38:19you weren't saved?

38:22What did you when the TV evangelist came

38:25on the TV?

38:27Did anybody change the channel?

38:29How many of you changed the channel?

38:31Yeah. How many of you remember right

38:33after you were born again

38:34and somebody would come on the TV

38:36preaching, it just sounded different

38:38than before you were saved. Does anybody

38:40remember that?

38:41The point the friend of mine made he

38:43says, "But after you're born again and

38:45that guy comes on TV and he starts, you

38:47know, Billy Graham comes on starts

38:49talking about the love of God and I mean

38:51we just sit there listening. Why? Cuz

38:53the issue has been settled.

38:55Right? Does that make sense? The issue

38:57has been settled. I mean before

39:00many of you would change the channels

39:01quick as you possibly could or you'd sit

39:03there and make fun of it. One of the one

39:04of the two and maybe both on the same

39:05night. I don't know.

39:08But once the issue is settled

39:10once the issue is settled

39:12it's amazing how much different the

39:14subject sounds.

39:19The subject of the tithe

39:22is a joyful inviting subject for those

39:25for whom the issue has been settled.

39:37Amen. That was

39:38such a

39:39such a wonderful wonderful point.

39:46Here's one of my deepest concerns in

39:49this subject.

40:06There's some teaching that's been

40:10going around quite a bit

40:12about

40:14what Jesus taught

40:17was under the law.

40:21And the reason for that is the death and

40:23resurrection of Christ marked the

40:25beginning of the New Testament.

40:28But can you imagine the Father sending

40:30his son Jesus to teach us and have his

40:32teaching only applicable the last 3

40:35years of the Old Testament's existence?

40:38Not very good stewardship if you ask me.

40:42Are you Are you Are you thinking? You

40:44think you're with me? Or here's here's

40:46the challenge.

40:48Is it's vital for us to learn to

40:49recognize

40:51what ended at the cross,

40:53what was changed at the cross, and what

40:56made made it through the cross, what is

40:58unchanged.

40:59And that's where wisdom extreme wisdom

41:01is needed because all three real-

41:04realities exist. What changed What ended

41:06at the cross? Animal sacrifice. There is

41:08no New Testament version of animal

41:10sacrifice.

41:16That's a safe one to say amen on. It's

41:17not a It's not a trick point at all. I

41:20I'm I'm I'm not going to trick you.

41:22There's just no New Testament version of

41:24an animal sacrifice. It ended at the

41:26cross, period.

41:28What changed at the cross? Many things

41:30changed at the cross. One is the

41:32Sabbath.

41:33In the Old Testament, it was a day. In

41:35the New Testament, it's a way of life.

41:38A Sabbath rest is something we enter

41:40into not a day of the week, but all 7

41:42days of the week. Does that mean we

41:44shouldn't take time to rest? No, no, I

41:46think that's a very valid principle, but

41:48the point is

41:50as scripture says,

41:51"There remains a rest to enter into."

41:54And he's referring to an approach, a way

41:56of life.

41:57What made it through the cross? Well,

41:59one of the things that made it through

42:00the cross unchanged is the Davidic

42:03worship, the worship style that David

42:06established in the Old Testament, where

42:08the people of God came before the

42:10presence of the Lord 24 hours a day and

42:12worshiped. They would have 24-hour

42:14shifts every day and they would sing and

42:16minister to God.

42:17That pattern established in David's life

42:21was prophesied about in Amos chapter 9

42:24that there was a day coming when God

42:25would rebuild that.

42:27Acts chapter 15 is the time we see it

42:29rebuilt and what's the point? The point

42:31is

42:32that worship ministry was the prophetic

42:35prototype of the New Testament church.

42:37It made it through the cross unchanged.

42:41So what about the tithe?

42:43Abraham

42:45initiated it.

42:47Ratified is correct

42:50by the law.

42:51Jesus came and taught the concept many

42:54times and in one occasion, Matthew 22

42:58said

42:59when they were boasting in their ability

43:01to tithe even down to the herbs,

43:04he said this you should have done

43:06without neglecting the rest. In other

43:08words, this isn't the most profound

43:10lesson

43:11for you to learn, but it's a good

43:12beginning place. Let me build on it.

43:14This isn't You know, this isn't

43:16doctorate level Christianity. This is

43:19preschool.

43:20Get these issues settled and I can do

43:22something.

43:23Right?

43:25So here's my concern

43:26is that there are folks who who believe

43:28that because Jesus ratified it that was

43:31Old Testament. He's just referring to

43:33something that was established in the

43:34law.

43:35I believe that's dangerous for several

43:37reasons. One is in in the

43:40the epistle of John,

43:42it says anyone who does not hold to the

43:44teachings of Christ, you're not even

43:47even to associate with.

43:50What are the teachings of Christ? It's

43:51all those things that are in red

43:53letters.

43:54If you have a Bible, it's the red print.

43:56It's It's the stuff he said. Is there Is

43:58That's That's what he said. That's what

44:00he taught.

44:01His teachings are timeless. They were

44:04not They were not given to humanity for

44:07a 3-year period before his death and

44:09resurrection. They are timeless.

44:12The words of Jesus.

44:17And he invites us into this relationship

44:20where he says, "Man, you learn how to

44:21handle something that belongs to

44:22somebody else, which is what?" In the

44:24Jewish life, the only thing that fits

44:26that category is the tithe. You're

44:28learning how to handle what belongs to

44:29someone else, it qualifies you to have

44:31something that's yours.

44:33That's fascinating to me. But many

44:35people think that Jesus never meant for

44:37you to have anything. He illustrates

44:39there, this is the training ground.

44:42Stewarding what belongs to someone else

44:44equips you, trains you, enables you to

44:46have something that is your own.

44:48The having something that you're own,

44:50the goal isn't to build a materialistic

44:52empire. The goal is to be everything I'm

44:54supposed to be, so that everything put

44:56in my hands is a useful tool to

44:59represent God in creativity, in

45:02excellence, in in the ability to have

45:05impact on culture, on values, on the way

45:08people live, the way people think.

45:10And part of that is how we handle money.

45:13And the inability to succeed in this one

45:16area robs us from having a role in

45:20shaping the culture of of upper echelons

45:23in economy.

45:26There is no discipling of nations

45:28without learning this one lesson.

45:31The Lord has summoned and called us to

45:34be able not to be the know-it-alls. I I

45:36don't I don't like that idea. But I love

45:38the idea of anybody in this room being

45:41able to be used by God at any given time

45:44to bring the word of the Lord to the

45:46upper echelons of any part of this

45:48culture and this society. To bring the

45:51word of the Lord, to bring that idea

45:52that I believe the Lord is releasing

45:54blueprints, creative ideas, things to

45:56his people, but it's in the context of a

45:59covenant people that who have said,

46:01"Yes, Jesus, you are Lord. It is all for

46:04you, whether I die in martyrdom

46:09or you cause me to be successful on Wall

46:11Street."

46:12It's all based on the Lordship of Jesus,

46:15and my life is not built out of what I

46:17own. It is built out of my devotion to

46:19the Lordship, the centrality of Christ

46:22has been Lord over my life.

46:24>> [applause]

46:28>> That life right there, that is

46:30transferable to any culture.

46:33You just take the different slices that

46:35are needed that is that makes sense. I

46:37hope to develop that thought a little

46:38better in weeks to come, but you take

46:40any slice that is needed out of this

46:42lifestyle built on the foundation of the

46:44Lordship of Jesus, you take out whatever

46:47is needed to whatever culture, whatever

46:49group of people you're ministering to.

46:51Some people, all they need to know is

46:53how to endure cuz they're facing great,

46:55great opposition.

46:57You know, the person who wakes up every

46:58day wondering if he's going to be alive

47:00at the end of the day, they really don't

47:02know need to know

47:05their first priority is is not to how to

47:07develop greater missions resource.

47:11They need to know how to experience the

47:12power of God in a way that gives them

47:14the grace to endure.

47:16And the power of God is for miracles and

47:18endurance. It's two sides of the same

47:20coin.

47:21And so, you pull that out of that

47:22foundation of thought, of life, and you

47:26give it to that person that's facing

47:27that need. And yet, you minister to

47:29somebody on Wall Street, and you bring

47:32yet a different word, but it's all based

47:33on the Lordship of Jesus. It links them,

47:35it ties them to this central truth,

47:38Jesus is Lord of all, the kingdom of God

47:40has a king, and his name is Jesus, and

47:43everything we do is for his honor, for

47:45his glory.

47:47This concept of the tithe is a

47:49covenantal promise.

47:53The Lord has promised

47:56what he would do,

47:57and he invites us, "Put me to the test."

48:04I believe it's a critical season for us.

48:06I'm very encouraged. I'm very happy

48:09about it.

48:10But I've also got this sober-minded

48:12thing going on. I've I've never

48:15I've never had such an experience in the

48:17middle of the night waking up teaching

48:21with this with this

48:22burning thing of God in my soul that

48:25would wake me up. Just just trying to

48:27lay down line after line, precept after

48:29precept.

48:31This concept that God has called us

48:34as a covenant people who demonstrate the

48:36lordship of Jesus with everything, not

48:38just in song.

48:42But in everything. Every part of my

48:43life. Anywhere you slice it, it shouts,

48:46"Jesus is Lord."

48:49>> [applause]

48:51>> Why don't you stand?

48:53We'll pray together.

48:55And then, uh

48:57we've got a couple more weeks of this.

48:59So, I hope to really

49:02bring a good mess.

49:05Hope to mess you up really good in the

49:07next couple weeks.

49:09Now, I I really I'm really hoping

49:13that a spin-off of this will actually be

49:18creative ideas. We're going to end this

49:20this series with a covenantal prayer.

49:25And the Lord spoke to me in October of

49:282003.

49:30He woke me up.

49:32And it's one of the

49:33few times in my life I've had this kind

49:35of an experience and encounter.

49:38And in this experience

49:41I asked him a question. He woke me up. I

49:43asked him a question out loud. I was in

49:46a hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

49:49And I asked him a question out loud.

49:52And I instantly was put to sleep. It's

49:54like

49:55I I don't know how to describe it. I

49:57went from talking to him to instantly

50:00being asleep. And in that context, he

50:02spoke audibly.

50:04And he spoke, and I'll develop this

50:06more, but he spoke about the anointing

50:08for the cancellation debts, specifically

50:11the break the releasing of Jubilee over

50:14the people of God.

50:15And I believe that this I've I've sat on

50:18this thing. I've toyed with it a little

50:20bit, but I've mostly sat on it for 11

50:22years. And I just I just have this

50:25burning conviction. This is the time to

50:28see some significant change and

50:29breakthrough.

50:31But I tell you, I I'm not interested in

50:33just seeing people want to be blessed

50:35because when the test starts, then

50:38people throw in the towel.

50:40I want to see people that declare as

50:41Lord and display as Lord and will

50:44demonstrate with every fiber of their

50:46being the lordship of Jesus. And from

50:48that see what measure of blessing the

50:51Lord would entrust into our lives so

50:53that we can further demonstrate this is

50:56what happens under the lordship of a

50:58good king, of a perfect king.

51:01All right. Father,

51:03I I pray for this grace for breakthrough

51:06and that you would actually

51:08unfold this whole

51:10deal into our lives in such a profound

51:13way that we see things working that

51:15never worked.

51:16And we would see release of blessing

51:18where we've never been blessed. That we

51:20we would see breakthrough and favor come

51:22into our lives in places that we've

51:24ached for and longed for. Lord, I I I do

51:27think that you're saying this is the

51:29season for the shift. So, I'm just

51:31uniting my heart with what you've been

51:33breathing into mine. And I just say,

51:35"Lord Jesus, let this be the hour of

51:37breakthrough. Let this be the season

51:39where the blueprints, the creative

51:41ideas, these things are released, but

51:43let them be released to a covenant

51:45people who can openly display your

51:47goodness, your kindness, and your power.

51:49I pray these things for the glory of

51:51God. Everybody said

51:53Amen to that. Amen.

51:55>> [applause]