The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. - Proverbs 10:22 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:19-21
Seeking Brings Gratitude
Everyone is seeking after something or someone.
During the Christmas season it seems that we are seeking in high gear.
Some are seeking for gifts.Others are seeking for joy / happiness. Others are seeking for love, purpose,contentment, acceptance and peace. All of these things are types of treasures.
None of these are inherently wrong. Maybe the question we should answer is not, “what are we seeking for” but “who are we seeking?”
Wise men are those who find themselves, not in the position of consumer, but steward.
The hope of this message is that we all become wiser and great seekers of the most high God.
The “what without the who” can become very temporary and can actually bring great sorrow
Prov. 10:22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
This small verse is beyond profound.
All of the Earthly “what” that I listed earlier, no matter how noble, stand the risk of bringing some type of sorrow if the blessing did not come from the Lord Jesus.
We could go back in time and think of every Christmas gift that was ever given to us and ask if it had any lasting value.
We could analyze any physical possession and recognize the sorrow of ownership. Examples: Cars, Houses, technology
Matt. 6:19 ¶ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matt. 6:20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Matt. 6:21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Imagine a Christmas culture that was more like Thanksgiving. Thankful hearts toward God becoming flesh to save Humanity rather than thankful hearts for stuff.
Thankful that Jesus brings salvation healing and deliverance and the promise of eternal life.
Thankful and filled with gratitude that we have eternal communion with God through the blood covering of Jesus.
If there was no incarnation, none of these things will be possible.
If we take the “what list” and receive these things through the blessings of God, now all of a sudden we have something that is everlasting and without sorrow.
All earthly treasure and possessions all bring sorrow at some point.
Joy and happiness can be temporary love sometimes doesn’t last objects deteriorate we can find ourselves repairing more than utilizing or enjoying.
Become Rich Without Sorrow
As we have learned the blessing of the Lord makes us rich without sorrow.
God’s blessings leave no bad aftertaste
The man who wrote this proverb was old and dying at the time of this writing and was the richest man in the world.
If there was any author in the world who could bring validity to that passage, it would be King Solomon.
This passage wasn’t written by a poor person or a middle-class person hoping for more this was written by the richest man to date.
His riches could not stop the hands of time and the fate of his own health.
Solomon was one of these interesting people who began his life very wise seeking after God.
As he got older he had wisdom yet still made foolish mistakes choosing the “What” Not The “Who.”
Solomon is here writing in his old age something to leave anyone who would come after him. What he wrote was not complex, did not need great biblical interpretation to figure it out.
Solomon said simply, “any man who has God’s blessing is rich and will not have sorrow from those riches.”
Solomon was considered a genius not just in the market place.
Solomon as a young man as he was about to be given the position of King was approached by God and given a blank check,ask anything and you can receive it. Solomon simply ask for wisdom from God to be able to govern the people.
2Chr. 1:7 ¶ In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”
2Chr. 1:8 And Solomon said to God, “Thou hast dealt with my father David with great loving kindness, and hast made me king in his place.
2Chr. 1:9 “Now, O LORD God, Thy promise to my father David is fulfilled;for Thou hast made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.
2Chr. 1:10 “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can rule this great people of Thine?”
2Chr. 1:11 And God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge, that you may rule My people, over whom I have made you king,
2Chr. 1:12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor those who will come after you.”
As a young man Solomon wasn’t asking for toys,presents around the Christmas tree, the biggest and the best of anything.
God looked upon this request as incredibly honorable, humble and recognized Solomon as malleable.
Solomon many years before Jesus birth was a wise man.
At the end of Solomon’s life, as he wrote that profound verse, we need to realize that he had seen a lot and had taken note of all humanity at its best and at its worst.
The only way that Solomon could write such a passage is by finally looking into his own heart and realizing how empty he actually was with the “what’s.”
What is the blessing of the Lord that Solomon is writing about?
We really wouldn’t know unless we had the totality of scripture to be a commentary for us.
We see the blessing of the Lord incarnate as a baby.
The blessing of the Lord is to stand in right relationship with Jesus in full Covenant relationship
This positions us as Heirs of the Almighty.
Jesus royalty is inherited by those who choose Him as Lord. By Jesus being born, we are given a birthright of royalty.
It’s like if you were born into the Buffett family or Jobs family or Gates family,there would be a great inheritance.
You would receive the wealth of one who is related to you after they are dead.
Jesus is our cosmic parent who was born, lived and died yet rose again, giving us as heirs all of His blessings, treasures without sorrow.
Let’s reframe what is of value this Christmas Season.
Prosper as We Align Our Thoughts With God
What is the blessing of the Lord that is talked about in Proverbs?
The blessing of the Lord is:
To be in proper alignment with God
To be in synergistic relationship with God
To be in synergistic relationship with His design including all of creation.
There are multiple ways for this to happen.
Children of the heavenly Father are heirs with Jesus Christ. Jesus came as the son of man to bring authority back to humanity that was lost through the fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus took the keys of hell and death from Satan.
Jesus first had to come through human childbirth.
Phil. 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Phil. 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Phil. 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
People ask what is the will of God. The definition of the word will is: the pursuit of altering or changing cognitive dissonance to synergy or harmony of design.
Cognitive dissonance: Carrying, believing and living with two opposing thoughts.
This is the root of all human struggle. Adam & Eve introduced cognitive dissonance.Jesus is the answer to correct cognitive dissonance.
God uses cognitive dissonance as a tool to prove He exists. The questions Who are we, where did we come from and where are we going is only answered through Jesus.
If you are on the pursuit of God’s will, you are then in the pursuit of altering or changing cognitive dissonance to synergy or harmony of His design.
Eccl. 3:11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
It’s the root of double mindedness that makes us unstable.
James 1:8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Sin brings cognitive dissonance. Corrupt thoughts bring cognitive dissonance. Trying to play on both sides of the fence brings cognitive dissonance.
Jesus came to this earth to renew our minds aligning His design correcting cognitive dissonance.
This great gift of realignment through Jesus teaching and his sacrifice has brought us the greatest gift of all.
Jesus gifts are eternal and bring no sorrow. Jesus gifts never experienced loss.
Jesus gifts and riches are also incorruptible. They will never wear out. The riches and gifts of Jesus Christ go beyond the laws of thermodynamics.
Let’s discuss two words depreciation and devaluation.
Depreciation means that after you purchase something it begins to decrease in value.
Devaluation is when money or currency itself is reduced to nothing.
In the glory of man this is what we deal with
Everything is under attack in some capacity. The blessing and riches of the Lord is immune to these attacks.
Satan can’t even take blessings and riches of the Lord that has been granted to you. Satan can take these riches and blessings if you decide to give them to him.
Many times Believers are swindled out of the very blessings and riches that God has given based on pure ignorance.
Hos. 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
God is interested in knowing how we will respond after all of the earthly riches and values are slowly deteriorated and taken away.
Look at this example of Job and how much he had.
Job 29:1 ¶ And Job again took up his discourse and said,
Job 29:2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me;
Job 29:3 When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;
Job 29:4 As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
Job 29:5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
Job 29:6 When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Job 29:7 “When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square;
Job 29:8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood.
Job 29:9 “The princes stopped talking, And put their hands on their mouths;
Job 29:10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate.
Job was a VIP yet when you look further after what happened when God dropped his hedge, Job didn’t have anything except what God instilled in him.
Like baby Jesus coming into the world with nothing, we will leave this world with nothing but the riches and blessings of the Lord.
Through this process of loss, God wanted to show Job what he had left and the value of what he actually had.
Solomon knew even at the point of death that the only things that had value were the Lord’s riches as he wrote these words on his deathbed.
In a world driven by materialism these words are arresting.
Solomon still had earthly riches, yet he knew he wasn’t going to take them with him.
The same is true for us brothers and sisters. Every Christmas gift, earthly possession, bank account, none of these will go with us when it is our time.
Even if we live long enough to see the Lord triumphantly coming in the sky knowing the dead in Christ will rise first and those who are alive will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye. None of them will be holding on to any earthly possession.
We know that Jesus brings riches and blessing with no sorrow let’s take a look at some false riches. False riches are traps.
Popularity falls under false riches it’s an idol and a god too many people.
Dan. 12:3 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
We’ve taken the word Star applied it to superficial people reducing the word star to nothing.
Friends are also false riches. Facebook proves this.Just look at your Facebook friends. A real friend will be there when you’re in trouble or you need an encouraging word.
Real friends are blessings and riches from God.You won’t take them with you to heaven, yet in Heaven you will be together one day.
Earthly possessions can be false riches. Do you own the possessions or do the possessions own you. Why do we own them.
Fame is a fleeting treasure. No matter what we’re all headed in the same direction just like Solomon.
The blessings and treasures of God can also be found in the Old Testament that he bears his people on his shoulders.
Is. 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
We might call that riding piggyback as a child would do on his father
God smiles when we are in alignment with him the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. This direction comes from Jesus Christ The Babe in the manger who grew into a man to teach and save the world.
The Fruit of Blessing is Contentment
Contentment: state of happiness or satisfaction, not in want.
Contentment is a sin solver because ultimately you won’t want sin, whatever that sin offers or its temptation cannot overcome pure contentment. Cognitive harmony.
1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you maybe able to endure it.
People pursue larger houses, bigger cars, bigger boats. I like how Warren Buffett puts it, he says he doesn’t like all of these larger things because it means there’s just more to take care of. This can bring sorrow.
Jesus treasures and Riches present us with contentment.
Envy is the opposite of contentment.
The psalm of David is a fantastic song of the riches and treasures of the Lord.
Psa. 23:1 ¶ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Psa. 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
Psa. 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Psa. 23:4 ¶ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Psa. 23:5 Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Psa. 23:6 Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Companionship is a beautiful thing. Living life with the people you love make that life worth living
A key to that happy life is to continue to embrace new relationships to share your life with even when loved ones die.
People who have no purpose seem to die early or soon after a loved one dies.
The same principle works with God.
If you live your life for Jesus, it doesn’t matter who comes or goes in your life to have purpose and true contentment.
Also we can stand and say that we will fear no evil for thou art with me.
As a church with your support there has been great seeds planted in many people over the years
There are seeds in people that have not even sprouted yet, yet are on their way.
Your loving support of our church played a part in that. The good news is that you will be held positively accountable when we reach heaven for the benevolent work we’ve done.
What is the value of strong Foundation of theology and eternal life for people?
Helping people to know how to think about what they think.
We are committed to helping people to re-evaluate what is important in life.
Our church should be a place that turns physical resources into blessings for others.
There are many people in our church who have gone home to be with the Lord. We will see them one day.
I’m sure many of them will happily greet us and share how grateful they are that we were part of their life upon the Earth.
These are riches without sorrow my friends.
Did you ever wonder what type of carpenter Jesus grew up to be.
The Bible doesn’t speak much on this yet I believe that he was a fantastic finish work Carpenter.
One who worked elegantly with his hands to create marvelous Cabinetry and Furniture.
There’s no room for error in this type of carpentry work.
All carpentry takes skill, yet this type takes tremendous focus and patience.
Jesus worked with people in the same fashion with great patience, focus, care and love.
These are the riches and blessings that the Lord brings.
If upon your deathbed, all you have is your earthly possessions, you’ll be overwhelmed with sorrow.
Maybe today you have your earthly possessions and you’re still overwhelmed with sorrow.
As long as we hear and understand this message our morning can be turned into dancing.
Psa. 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;
Psa. 30:12 That my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.
There’s one truth to be known, that there is no-one sorrowful in heaven.
There is no one in heaven sorrowful for serving God 1 seconds upon this Earth.
Emerson said the best part of property is the part you don’t have title to.
Simply meaning you can enjoy the beauty of someone’s property and not have to deal with the responsibility and sorrow that goes with it.
We can get all the benefit while somebody else pays taxes.
God’s blessings and treasures are tied to a relationship with God, eternal life,forgiveness, keys to the kingdom of God, healing and Deliverance.
If we know we have the blessings of the Lord to make us rich then we can face this new year with great boldness and trust.
How about celebrating an entire year with no regrets? How would that be?
This year will be a great year for God’s people. It will be a year greater than our past.
Matt. 3:16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him,
Matt. 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Where did that voice come from? The voice came from the father and just as the father loved Jesus, the father loves you. This is the ultimate treasure.
John 17:22 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them;that they may be one, just as We are one;
John 17:23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity,that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.
The Father loves the body of Christ just as much as he loves Christ Himself.
We are very high on the priority list of God.
This is a great day to make up our mind and how we are going to impact this world together.
What is it that we are going to do to have the most impacting church, with an impacting message that changes the lives in the direction of people forever?
Giving Gives A Face To Treasure
Is it possible for your earthly treasures, finances and personal possessions to be translated and given a human face?
The answer to that question is a definitive yes. The minute you give any treasure under God’s guidance to church or essentially another human being to help them along their way towards God, you will see that treasure in heaven.
This is also true with the giving of our time and talents.
As you are Faithfully given to a wake Christian Church, weekly we are equipping people to embrace the kingdom of God and these people share that fruit with everyone that they come in contact with.
It is what I call an exponential and geometric multiplier for the kingdom of God.ex. Parthenon
Every person we have touched with the help of our treasure is treasure that we will see in heaven by their faces being there with us.
Wise men still seek Him, this is wisdom being dispatched for Gods glory.
The idea of a church should be that we turn money and human resources into eternal blessings.
How about the riches of prayer, communion, deliverance, and healing?
Jesus said that he’s going to prepare a place for us.
John 14:1 ¶ “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
The same finish Carpenter is preparing a place for us.
Jesus, the creator of you and I and the entire universe, is creating still.
Wisdom says that we seek after Him.
The real question is, “how rich will we be the day God calls us home?”
Solomon realize that he didn't convert his Earthly treasure into human faces that he would meet in heaven.
The purpose of our church is bigger than what we have now. Our future will be larger than our past.
How many lives are we willing to touch? How many faces are we willing to help into Eternal communion to God?
How rich are we going to be this year? How are we going to measure that number?
With this said I would like to go back to a passage of scripture that our church was founded upon
Is. 52:1 ¶ Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no more come into you.
Is. 52:2 Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem;Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Is. 52:3 For thus says the LORD, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money.”
Is. 52:4 For thus says the Lord GOD, “My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there, then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
Is. 52:5 “Now therefore, what do I have here,” declares the LORD,“seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?” Again the LORD declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.
Is. 52:6 “Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
Is. 52:7 ¶ How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Is. 52:8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion.
Is. 52:9 Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Is. 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.
Is. 52:11 ¶ Depart, depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the LORD.
Is. 52:12 But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives;For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Is. 52:13 ¶ Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.
Is. 52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men.
Is. 52:15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
This prophetic passage is talking about a revival or an Awakening that will happened for all of God’s people.
It is talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God of true Christianity.
Isaiah proclaimed Awake! Awake! 2 times at the top of the passage. These were the imperative words from God himself to Isaiah. God was serious. This is a strong call to the church to wake up.
A cry to awake is addressed to sleeping people.
There are believers that are awake and walking in God’s fullness. There are others who are asleep. We can tell by their fruit.
What does it mean to be asleep? You can be unconscious or even semi unconscious.Awareness is absent.
A problem with being asleep is that you can be in the greatest of danger and not even know it.Example carbon monoxide poisoning, burglar, identity theft
If you’re asleep you don’t have a chance, if you’re awake you can do something about it.
God shouting Awake! Awake! Is an alarm.
Is it possible that God used 2 Awakes; one for the current-day and one for the future?
There are two types of people who are asleep. They are morally asleep and spiritually asleep.
Christians might have started out awake yet they were lolled to sleep by program base Christianity, sleepy worship, sleepy evangelism. This is when things get a little too comfortable and routine
The very blessings of God can make us sleepy. Blessings can make us too comfortable
The church needs to pull away from religion and pull close to the things of God. The trouble is pulling away from religion and rules doesn’t make you popular.
We are called to be Pioneers for the kingdom of God
The Garment reference and Isaiah 52 represents righteousness and goodness. These garments will give us a moral sense. The Bible says that none are good, not one.
Our righteousness is like filthy rags. This is why we have to put His righteousness on.
We talked about gratitude in the sermon series. We need to have gratitude appreciating God for who is not for what he does. We need to serve God and not use God.
It is time to seek God vertically with a direct connection to Him and horizontally through our relationships with people.
Matt. 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
