Level: 2, Lesson: 14
FINANCES I
OUTLINE

God desires for you to prosper financially.

II Corinthians 8:9: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." In context, this verse is talking about finances. It’s not just talking about spiritual things.

III John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." God’s will is for you to prosper in spirit, soul and body.

Prospering in finances is not an optional thing. Jesus died to produce financial blessing in your life. Sozo, the Greek word for salvation, is found over 100 times in the New Testament and literally means deliverance, healing, financial prosperity and forgiveness of sins.

Scripturally, people who have really served God have been blessed financially. Abraham, in the Old Testament, was the richest man in his day.

I Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Greed is wrong. The "love" of money is the root of all evil. Deuteronomy 8:18: "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth the power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."

The real purpose of financial prosperity is not to have an abundance of things for our own selfish purposes, but so that we can establish God’s covenant here on earth. Genesis 12:2-3: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

II Corinthians 9:8: "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." The definition of true biblical prosperity is having enough to meet our own needs with enough left to be a blessing to others.

Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Give to God first with your finances and He will supply all the other things that you need and you’ll be a blessing to other people. God wants you to prosper, but it is dependent on your motive and actions.

FINANCES I
Lesson Text

Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for [it is] he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day." God gives us the power to prosper financially so that we can use that prosperity to further His kingdom here on earth.

A good Bible definition of prosperity is found in II Corinthians 9:8 which says, "And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work". Prosperity is having enough of God’s supply to accomplish God’s instructions. Those who feel they couldn’t use any more money have only a selfish vision. Their needs may be met but what about a lost and dying world? Those with an unselfish vision are believing for more prosperity so that they can give to every good work. It takes money to preach the gospel. For the gospel to prosper, we have to prosper. The money comes to us first so that we can in turn fund the ministry.

The Bible does teach against greed and covetousness, which is called idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Some have used this to say that having large amounts of money is evil. But having money isn’t evil; it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil (I Timothy 6:10). It is possible to have money without it having you. And you don’t have to be rich to commit this sin of loving money. In fact, some of the people who lust for wealth the most are the ones who are poor. They think if they had more money and what it could buy, they would be happy. The rich know that isn’t true.

So, it’s greed that rots the seed. If our motive for prosperity is not so we can consume the money on ourselves, then the Lord will give us an abundance of finances so we can sow them into His kingdom. If He can get the money through you, He will get it to you. Paul said God gives seed to the sowers (II Corinthians 9:10). This was talking of money. He was saying, "If you will be faithful to give, God will supply you with the money to do it." Therefore, if we are short on seed, it’s probably because we are not very good sowers. Sowers have seed. That’s God’s promise.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." What things was Jesus talking about? We don’t have to wonder. The answer is right there in the context. Jesus was speaking of our physical needs being met if we would seek first the kingdom of God.

He wasn’t speaking of seeking first the kingdom of God through prayer or Bible study. He was saying that if our reason for desiring prosperity was so we could advance the kingdom of God, then the Lord would see to it that all our temporal needs were met. That’s what the context of this verse teaches.

The Lord established a system that enables us to devote our whole heart to Him and His kingdom. We don’t have to departmentalize our lives into the secular and religious. We can make our whole purpose in life to glorify God. In the financial realm, we can make our real heart’s cry, "I want more so that I can give more." When a person seeks first the kingdom of God in that way, then the Lord personally sees to his needs being met. We don’t have to be concerned with our own needs. And the Lord will take care of us better than we would have taken care of ourselves.

Someone may be saying, "What about Hebrews 13:5? It says, "[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Doesn’t this verse teach that we are suppose to have nothing? No! This verse is teaching against covetousness. We should be content with what we have but as we start living to give, abundance will come our way and we should be content with that too.

Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30 that any person who gives to Him out of the right motive would receive a hundredfold return IN THIS LIFE. That’s a promise. We don’t give to get. But we realize as we give we will get so we can give even more. And as the money flows through, there will always be plenty for you. The Lord will meet your needs. He is El Shaddai, the All Sufficient One, not El Cheapo, the Stingy One.

FINANCES I
(Additional Information)

II Corinthians 9:8: "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"

Most people go through stages of giving similar to stages of growth in training our children. First there is the obedience stage where we train our children to do the right thing just because we told them to do it. They don’t have the capacity to understand completely, but they need to establish positive patterns even before their reasoning is mature. Likewise, when we first come to the Lord we need to establish this foundation of obedience.

Next, a child begins to imitate his parents’ actions. This would be similar to being led by the Holy Spirit in our giving. The Holy Spirit becomes our guide and He wants us to emulate Him. There is great benefit to ourselves as well as to others from being led by the Holy Spirit in our giving. Yet, there is still another level of giving to which Paul is referring to here.

The ultimate motivation for giving is to give as we purpose in our heart, as Paul is describing here. This is comparable to a son who is serving, not just out of obedience because he fears punishment, or because he is motivated by the example of his parent (what if the parent isn’t present), but because his heart has been affected to the point that it is his desire to do what is right. That is what every parent longs for and that is what the Lord desires in our giving.

If the only time we give is when the Lord tells us to, that is comparable to a child who only says he loves his father when he is told to do so. Although there is a time when that is proper, it is not the ultimate. There needs to be those times when the child says he loves his father just because that is what is in his heart.

It is true that God will tell us to give specific amounts of money at times to help meet the need of someone else or for our own personal benefit. However, it is also appropriate to give just because we want to. Those who only know how to respond to commands or specific leadings of the Holy Spirit in their giving will miss bringing joy to the Lord through their unsolicited, cheerful giving.

(II Corinthians 9:8) Notice what this verse did not say. It did not say, "God will make all grace abound toward you . . ." This verse is stating that God is willing and able to supply every need of the cheerful giver, but that doesn’t happen automatically. There are conditions to be met. Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

(II Corinthians 9:8) This verse completely dispels the notion that God only wants to supply our bare necessities. He is able to make all grace (in this instance, His miraculous intervention) abound toward us. The word "abound" means: (1) to be plentiful in number or amount, (2) to be fully supplied. Whatever our situation, God’s grace abounds greater (Romans 5:20). The Lord desires that we ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in ALL things. It is not God’s will for us to suffer financially.

(II Corinthians 9:8) Those who argue against prosperity invariably cite the examples of those who have gathered riches to consume upon their own lusts. They use these negative examples to make the point that those who are rich are selfish and corrupt, and then argue against prosperity on the grounds of greed. However, that is not the purpose of God giving us wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). As this verse states, it is so we may help others. The purpose of God’s prosperity in our lives is so that we can be the blessing to others that we need to be. Before we can be a blessing, we have to be blessed (Genesis 12:2). If we are not selfish with our riches, then wealth can be a wonderful thing.

II Corinthians 9:8 is describing an abundance of blessing to the point that we can abound to every good work. That means that we should never be unable to give to any good cause. Sad to say, that is not the case with most Christians. Satan has robbed us through "poverty thinking" and has caused many good works to go under-funded. If you are so blessed that you don’t have any more needs, then think about others and believe for more abundance so that you can be a blessing to them.

(Information adapted from The New Topical Text Book)

Here are some questions to think about for this lesson

Level 2 Lesson 14 Questions
FINANCES I

1. According to Deuteronomy 8:18, who gives us power to get wealth?
2. For what purpose does He give us the power to get wealth?
3. What is a good definition of prosperity?
4. What is idolatry according to Colossians 3:5?
5. What is the root of all evil? (I Timothy 6:10)
6. Explain the principle of giving from II Corinthians 9:6-7.
7. What are "all these things" mentioned in Matthew 6:33?
8. What is the greatest treasure that we can have according to Hebrews 13:5?
9. Explain in your own words what Mark 10:29-30 is saying.

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