6 November 2022 – Biblical Prosperity Amidst The Famine – Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes – New Creation Church Sermon Notes
From the start, God said to Abraham that He will bless him to be a blessing.
As we enter into a global recession, we need to understand what God said about prosperity.
The Scriptures say that Joseph was a prosperous man and everything he did was made to prosper. It is not just spiritual prosperity because the heathen Potiphar saw the physical effect in Joseph’s life.
God was preparing Joseph to step into his calling to provide for the world during the famine.
If you shut your spirit to Biblical prosperity, you will experience lack and no financial breakthrough.
It is not enough to believe. We must also speak out what we believe.
The Bible tells us to keep the unity of the Spirit and not the unity of the doctrine. Many believers have different opinions about doctrine, but we need to be united in the Spirit. Use platforms to bless each other, not to tear each other down.
God calls those things that are not [in the physical realm yet] as though they are.
God called Abram “Abraham” (meaning “father of many”) when he was not even a father of one child yet.
When there was darkness on the face of the deep, God called forth what He wanted to see. He said “let there be light” and light came to be.
There is no health and wealth Gospel but the Gospel of Grace and Peace does produce health and wealth. If you don’t like those terms, you can use “well-being” and “provision”.
This whole universe bows to faith because it was made by God, not by cancel culture or by people who are trying to take dominion over the world.
It is prosperity with a purpose that God wants us to see. We are blessed to be a blessing.
God will never force you to receive a blessing you don’t want to receive. If your spirit is closed to Biblical prosperity then you will not receive it.
In order to be saved, you had to hear the Word first before you could believe and be saved. In order to prosper as according to the Bible’s meaning of it, you must first hear the truth about it so you can believe and confess it.
Galatians 3:29 – If you are a believer, you are an heir according to the promise.
A direct seed of Abraham is Isaac. We need to study his life to understand what kind of blessings we have in Christ.
“If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:29 WEBUS)
Genesis 26:1-3 – Famine is a time of lack. When famine happens, don’t go down to Egypt by giving up on God’s ways and reverting to the world’s ways.
When you turn away from God, you are going down. When you turn to Him, you are going up.
“There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. Yahweh appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about. Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.” (Genesis 26:1-3 WEBUS)
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich and doesn’t add sorrow to him. There is no painful toil. This is how you assess whether a blessing is from God or not. When God blesses you, there is a pleasure.
Exercise involves labor and sweat, but it should not bring you acute pain and breathlessness. It is a pleasurable kind of work.
Mounce, a Bible scholar’s definition of “Shalom”: In addition to peace, it can be translated as prosperity, well-being, health, completeness, and safety.
Aleph Tav is the divine signature of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures.
Galatians 3:13-14 – We are in Christ, so near to God. Lovers don’t yell—they whisper. When you pray, don’t shout as though God is so far away—you are starting with the wrong premise.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14 WEBUS)
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: BARAK/EULOGIA (usually translated as “bless”)
“Basically BARAK means endue with beneficial power. The nature of the blessing is that of the conferring and transference of beneficial power, which produces fertility in men and in livestock and lands. Blessing works vertically in the continued growth of succeeding generations. Horizontally, it affects peace, security from enemies, good fortune and well-being for a tribe or group (expressed most comprehensively in the concept ‘shalom’, ‘well-being’.)”
Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament: BARAK (BLESS)
“To bless in the Old Testament means ‘to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity (to be very fertile and fruitful), longevity, etc.'”
If you are always sick or broke, can you advance the Gospel? No. Therefore coming against Biblical prosperity is an attack from the enemy to weak the body of Christ.
1 Timothy 6:10 – Money is not the root of evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil.
You will break the love of money by tithing. The tithe is the proof that no matter how much you prosper, you will never forget the source of your blessing.
The tithe is still valid for today. It is a revelation that is strong meat, for mature believers.
If you love money, you will pierce yourself through with many sorrows.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:10 WEBUS)
Mark 10:23-25 – It is hard for those who “trust in riches” to enter into God’s Kingdom. It is not those who are rich who cannot enter God’s Kingdom.
“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”” (Mark 10:23-25 WEBUS)
Genesis 2:10-12 – This is the first occurrence of “gold”. It says gold is good. God put the gold there.
If gold is bad then there is something very wrong about Heaven because the streets of Heaven are made of gold.
“A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.” (Genesis 2:10-12 WEBUS)
2 Corinthians 8:9 – Jesus took the curse of poverty upon Himself at the cross. Even physically, Jesus was destitute at the cross. The soldiers gambled for His clothes. Jesus bore our sins and carried our diseases there.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 WEBUS)
2 Corinthians 8:3-9 – The context is giving of money and material prosperity, not just spiritual prosperity.
Giving is a grace gift.
“For according to their power, I testify, yes and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints. This was not as we had expected, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace. But as you abound in everything—in faith, utterance, knowledge, all earnestness, and in your love to us—see that you also abound in this grace. I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:3-9 WEBUS)
2 Corinthians 9:5-11 – Jesus was made poor at the cross so that you can be rich. He who sows bountiful will reap bountifully.
“I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brothers that they would go before to you and arrange ahead of time the generous gift that you promised before, that the same might be ready as a matter of generosity, and not of greediness. Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. As it is written, “He has scattered abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever.” Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” (2 Corinthians 9:5-11 WEBUS)
Genesis 26:12-14 – It was during the year of famine that Isaac reaped a hundredfold. Sow into Gospel ground. Pastor Prince says that investing in the stock markets and cryptocurrency are not wrong, but your focus and mainstay should be in tithing and trusting the Lord to provide for you. He will prosper you for a purpose. It is not for hoarding or being greedy about it.
When you as a Christian prosper, people will be envious of you. The flesh doesn’t like it when Christians prosper.
“Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him. The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great. He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.” (Genesis 26:12-14 WEBUS)
Jesus was not a poor man. He died poor at the cross. He did that for you so that you would receive His prosperity, healing, and health. He was rejected by God at the cross so that you would be accepted by God the Father.
God is the one who gives you the power to get wealth. As you tithe in remembrance of His faithfulness to you, He will pour out such a huge blessing from the windows of Heaven that there is no room to receive it.
God wants to make you a Joseph. He will make all you do prosper so that you can be a blessing to many in the coming time of famine.
