Participants:
Series Code: PTL
Program Code: PTL000013A
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00:49 Welcome to Pathway to Life, from Phoenix, Arizona.
00:53 - I'm Ginnie, Hakes. - And I'm Jim Hakes. 00:56 And we pastor the host church, 00:59 the Paradise Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:02 here in Phoenix. 01:03 And we want to welcome each and every one of you 01:07 who are participating here in this 01:09 Three Angels Broadcast Network event. 01:13 And we thank you for being with us. 01:15 Tonight we have a new musical guest. 01:18 Lyndon Carriger. 01:21 He will be sharing a beautiful rendition 01:23 of, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. 01:26 A beloved hymn. 01:27 And then Elder Lomacang will be speaking on the topic entitled, 01:33 Making Ends Meet. 01:35 And I think that is a very relevant topic 01:38 for this day and age. 01:39 Before that, let's begin with prayer. 01:41 Gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for bringing us 01:45 back together so that we can open the Bible together 01:48 so that we can study from Your Word to know 01:52 Your plan and purpose for our life. 01:54 And we pray that You will help us from the Scriptures 01:59 to be able to make ends meet better. 02:01 And we pray that You will be with us as we 02:04 enjoy beautiful music. 02:07 Bless us now. And we thank You. 02:10 For we've asked it in Jesus' name. 02:12 Amen. 02:28 Great is Thy faithfulness, 02:33 O God my Father. 02:39 There is no shadow of turning with Thee. 02:51 Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. 03:02 As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. 03:13 Great is Thy faithfulness. 03:19 Great is Thy faithfulness. 03:24 Morning by morning new mercies I see. 03:36 All I have needed, Thy hands hath provided. 03:47 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. 04:00 You give me pardon for sin 04:06 and peace that endureth, 04:12 Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, 04:23 strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. 04:34 Blessings are mine, with ten thousand beside. 04:46 Great is Thy faithfulness. 04:51 Great is Thy faithfulness. 04:57 Morning by morning new mercies I see. 05:09 All I have needed, 05:14 Thy hands hath provided. 05:22 Great is Thy faithfulness, 05:28 great is Thy faithfulness, 05:35 great is Thy faithfulness, 05:45 Lord, unto me. 06:03 - Can we say amen again? ~ Amen. 06:05 Great is Thy faithfulness. 06:08 Thank you, Lyndon. 06:09 Wasn't that a song of conviction? 06:12 When we talk about God's faithfulness, 06:16 we speak about a God who can be trusted 24 hours a day, 06:20 7 days a week, and through eternity. 06:23 Thank you so much for that message in song. 06:26 Tonight we're talking about making ends meet. 06:30 Let us go to God in prayer. 06:32 Loving Father in heaven, we thank You for the fact that 06:35 You are always faithful. 06:39 There's no one that we can rely on more than You. 06:43 And we thank You tonight, as we open Your Word, 06:45 that Your Holy Spirit will open our hearts 06:49 to impress that thought in our minds of a faithful 06:53 and loving Lord. 06:55 And so give us now, Lord, the wisdom to understand 06:58 that truth that is everlasting, 07:01 and follow Your plan for all of our needs being met. 07:06 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 07:10 I really love this topic. 07:14 Because I and my wife, we are witnesses of God's faithfulness. 07:19 You know, the psalmist David in, I think, Psalm 37:25 07:23 he says, "I once was young, and now I am old. 07:26 And I've never seen the righteous forsaken, 07:31 nor his seed begging for bread." 07:34 When you've been in ministry for more than 30 years 07:36 and been married going on 35, 07:39 you get there because of God's constant faithfulness. 07:44 And in a world today, if you were told that there is someone 07:48 that can guarantee that all of your needs will be supplied, 07:52 and he wants to meet you and wants to provide 07:55 all of your needs from this day forward, would you be excited? 08:01 If you knew of a plan that will never fail, 08:04 and the Lord says, "I want to add your name to the list 08:07 to be on My plan," would you want to be on that plan? 08:11 You see, tonight we're going to talk about making ends meet. 08:13 But not just barely making ends meet. 08:15 Because the apostle Paul is one that was surrounded by 08:19 cultures and philosophies. 08:21 He sat before kings and many lords. 08:24 The apostle Paul knew what it was like to survive on 08:28 prisoners bread, and he ate from tables of delicacies. 08:32 And Paul's testimony was preserved so that tonight 08:37 we could look at his life and recognize that 08:39 God is always faithful. 08:42 Notice the scriptures on the screen tonight. 08:44 Philippians 4:11-13 09:20 What the apostle Paul was saying to us tonight 09:24 is, when you have Jesus, all of your needs will be supplied. 09:31 Not all of your wants. 09:33 Because the Lord does not always answer the prayer 09:37 of those that want what He doesn't want for us. 09:40 As a loving Father who sees the end from the beginning, 09:44 the Lord we serve knows all of our needs. 09:46 And then he says, "Seek first the kingdom of God 09:49 and His righteousness..." 09:52 And how many things? 09:53 "...all these things shall be added unto you." 09:58 He continues in that very same chapter. 10:14 In a world of economic instability, we need to 10:17 know that God will supply our needs. 10:19 In a world of depression and recession, 10:23 we need to know that God will supply all of our needs. 10:26 In a world where stocks rise and fall, 10:29 we need to know tonight that God will supply all our needs. 10:35 This topic excites me because my wife and I, we have been... 10:38 In ministry, there were days in the very beginning... 10:41 And what I have to really prevent myself 10:44 from doing tonight is putting the sermon down 10:47 and testifying for 45 minutes. 10:50 Because I could tell you for the rest of this week 10:53 how God has taken care of these two young people from Brooklyn 10:59 on His credit card. 11:00 Come on somebody, say amen. 11:02 God doesn't need an American Express. 11:05 American Express don't have any credit limit 11:07 that can hold the finances of God. 11:11 Matter of fact, notice how David the psalmist says it. 11:14 He says clearly in Psalm 50:10-12... 11:19 How many beasts? 11:21 Who do you know that can say that? 11:31 It's okay when God boasts, because He's my Father. 11:34 I don't mind when my Father will tell it like it is. 11:39 Who do you know that knows all the birds of the mountains? 11:48 "If I were hungry..." 11:51 I've got to pause there. 11:52 "If I were hungry," God is saying... 12:03 If you got in a plane and looked to your left, 12:05 your left and to your right, 12:08 if you looked to the north and to the south, 12:10 to the east and to the west, 12:11 from the glaciers of the far north to the ice caps 12:14 of the far south, all the equator, 12:17 everywhere our eyes can see, nothing would be there 12:22 if it were not for God. 12:23 Can you say amen tonight? 12:25 So God doesn't have any problem with providing our need. 12:29 There is nothing under the sun that does not belong to God. 12:33 You know why? He spake, and it was done. 12:35 He commanded, and it stood fast. 12:38 And He did it all in six days. 12:41 He continues in the psalm. 12:44 Psalm 24:1-2 13:00 So when we think about God, sometimes you've got to pause 13:04 and just think about God. 13:06 Not what He has, but who He is. 13:09 I mean, think about God. 13:12 My wife and I have had the privilege of 13:13 meeting famous people. 13:15 People that have stuff. 13:17 People that can write checks, and while they're writing 13:20 the check, the amount they wrote it for has already 13:22 been replenished. 13:25 We know folk. 13:28 But I don't know anybody that can say what David the psalmist 13:31 just wrote about our Lord. 13:35 I know you're so overwhelmed you can't even get it out. 13:41 So when you meet somebody... 13:43 I remember one gentleman who has a friend that is a millionaire. 13:47 And he's involved in prison ministry. 13:49 I won't tell his name. 13:51 He's always a hilarious guy, but he serves the Lord with fervor. 13:54 And he's well up in years. 13:55 He says, "In about 13 more years I'll be 100, 13:58 and I'm still going." 14:00 But he has a friend that's a millionaire. 14:01 And his friend once said to him, he says, 14:03 "Why is it that you never ask me for money?" 14:05 He said, "Why should I ask you? 14:07 I ask the owner, not the steward." 14:11 Amen? 14:13 Because some folk will be stingy and they want 14:15 you to come to them and grovel, "Please help me." 14:19 When my wife and I get on our knees, 14:20 we get an answer from the Lord. 14:24 So when you are at your wits end, don't ask people. 14:28 Get on your knees. 14:30 The psalmist David said in Psalm 146:3... 14:42 The Lord has put into place reciprocal principles 14:47 of blessings. 14:48 Now the world often uses it incorrectly. 14:50 Some ministries use it to pad their own pockets. 14:53 Let me make it clear tonight. 14:55 Wherever you're watching from, whatever denomination 14:57 you may be of, that's not the case for an Adventist pastor. 15:01 Whether the church is full, or five people, 15:04 we get the same salary. 15:06 Amen, Adventists. 15:07 So we don't tell you what you want to hear 15:10 so you can put money in our pockets. 15:12 We tell you what you need to hear 15:14 so God can put money in our pockets. 15:18 And by the way, money is not going to get us to heaven. 15:20 The Lord will. 15:21 But notice the reciprocal principles of blessings. 15:24 Luke 6:38 15:46 Now if you can see through that picture, 15:47 you can see some measuring cups. 15:49 If somebody knocks on your door and says, 15:50 "I need a teaspoon of salt," 15:53 and you give them a thimble of salt, 15:58 when the time comes that you need a teaspoon of salt 16:00 you're going to get a thimble of salt. 16:02 Because with the same measure that you use, 16:05 it will be measured back to you again. 16:07 In other words, when the time comes for the needs 16:11 of God's work to be supplied, don't be stingy. 16:15 Because the Lord says, 16:17 "If you're liberal, I'll be liberal." 16:19 And who can be more liberal than God? 16:22 Nobody. 16:23 Who's got deeper pockets? 16:25 Let's look at this in perspective. 16:26 Let's look at this even further. 16:28 The law of blessings is as reliable as the law of gravity. 16:33 Galatians 6:7 16:45 Let's look at the principles of sowing. 16:47 Let's look at this very carefully. 16:49 This is a very quick investment example. 16:53 If you invested $7200 in a savings account... 16:56 That's about $600 a month. 16:58 ...and you had an interest rate of 2.129, 17:01 the potential return after a year, 17:03 you only increase by $353.29. 17:08 Actually, $153.29. 17:10 I got ya. I'm with ya. 17:13 That's not a big increase. 17:16 And we're going to talk about how God is far greater 17:19 than any local bank. 17:21 Because what the bank does is based on the 17:23 rise and fall of the prime rates, the stock market, 17:26 the stability or the instability of the world. 17:29 God's financial system is not based on anything that man has. 17:36 Because God's bank is offshore. 17:40 Let me go further. God's bank is off planet. 17:47 He doesn't have to hide His money. 17:49 Now let's look at the principles of reaping. 17:52 After one year if you had that $7353.29 balance, 17:57 and you write a check for $8000, you will be what? 18:00 Overdrawn by that amount, $646.71. 18:04 You know that when you write a check that has 18:07 more on the check than there is in the bank, 18:09 you get something called what? 18:10 Insufficient funds. 18:13 In other words, the check will bounce. 18:15 That's why when you rely on just what you have... 18:18 Let me make the point very clear tonight. 18:19 When you rely on just what you have, 18:23 it's completely within your power to provide your need. 18:27 But when you rely on what God has, 18:31 it is in His power to provide all of your need. 18:35 I wish I could tell you some of 3ABN's miracle stories. 18:39 This very ministry is a miracle based on 18:43 the faithfulness of God. 18:46 Wish Danny could come one night and tell his testimony. 18:49 How when he just prayed, "Lord, where is the 18:53 Adventist church in the media world?" 18:55 And the Lord says, "You do it." 18:57 And from that day till this, God has been providing 19:00 every need that 3ABN has. 19:03 And we are definitely a ministry of faith. 19:06 But when you follow God's plan, there will be no lack. 19:11 And God knows exactly what our needs are. 19:13 As a matter of fact, notice what He says. 19:16 2 Corinthians 9:6 19:19 Notice the principles, the reciprocal principles. 19:22 It is based on you giving and you receiving. 19:28 That means, if you're stingy. 19:33 If you're stingy, that's how you'll be dealt with. 19:42 In other words, as you've seen on the ATM, 19:45 you get what you give. 19:47 You cannot get out of a machine what you haven't put in that. 19:50 The point is very clear. 19:51 Some people are members of churches 19:53 and they never give anything. 19:56 I've said to people... 19:57 Some people say, "Well I don't work. 19:59 I just get a limited amount of income, 20:01 and I cannot afford to give." 20:02 Let me tell you something. 20:03 No matter what you get, give something to the Lord's work. 20:07 Because it is only as you give that you'll understand 20:11 that God can always out give you. 20:14 You've got to trust Him, though. 20:16 You've got to put Him to the test. 20:19 If you put God to the test, you'll discover 20:21 how faithful the Lord is. 20:24 The other thing you have to avoid is hoarding. 20:26 There are some people that stack money in their mattresses, 20:31 and in books, and in boxes. 20:34 I heard stories of people that have died, 20:35 and when they went to their house they found money in the 20:37 mattress, thousands and thousands. 20:40 I know of a lady who just refuses to die. 20:42 Not that I want her to, but let me make my point. 20:46 Let me make my point. Here's my point. 20:48 She's well up in years, has millions of dollars. 20:52 And the floor in her house was cracking, and she said, 20:57 "I don't think I have enough money to fix that." 21:00 And we said, "Do you realize..." 21:01 We didn't say it, but, "Do you realize you could buy this house 21:05 twenty times over?" 21:07 But there are some people that hoard, thinking that somehow 21:10 by holding onto this, money gives us security. 21:14 No, the only security we have is in Christ. 21:21 The greatest witness against you will be when the Lord comes 21:25 you've got a bank full of money. 21:27 And God gave you what He gave you to advance 21:30 His work in the earth. 21:32 The evidence is found in the book of James chapter 5. 21:35 Notice what he says. Be careful, don't be a hoarder. 21:44 And I tell you what. 21:45 People say that people that are not rich want to be rich. 21:49 But people that are rich are not always happy. 21:52 When you get a chance, read Psalm 73. 22:14 Whereas the King James version says, 22:15 "...for the last days." 22:17 Some people are just holding on. They feel secure. 22:19 "Oh, I've got 'x' amount of dollars. 22:21 If I've got 'x' amount of dollars, I'll be secure." 22:23 Let me tell you something. 22:27 My wife and I, we may look like we have money. 22:30 Don't let that fool you. 22:33 We have been raised to dress decently. 22:35 That's the way we were raised. 22:37 But we are not rolling in dough. 22:39 We're rolling in God's blessings. 22:43 Because we know that dough and God's blessings 22:45 are not on the same page. 22:47 That's why you have to be careful and 22:49 understand the reality of it. 22:50 Matthew 6:21, don't hoard, because the Bible says... 23:00 Be very careful. Watch out. 23:02 Some people, their mind is more on their money 23:05 than on their Lord. 23:06 And in one breath... 23:09 Do you know that every one of us is one breath 23:12 away from eternity? 23:15 One breath. 23:17 If that next breath does not occur, your bank account 23:21 could never give you life. 23:26 So be careful. 23:27 May your treasure be in the Lord, not in your possessions. 23:30 Because Luke, Dr. Luke, makes it very clear. 23:33 Luke 12:15 23:49 I've got to talk to some of the men here. 23:50 Now ladies may have a million shoes. 23:52 I understand that. 23:54 That's the law of life. 23:56 But some guys will be driving down the road and see a 2x4, 24:00 and pull over and pick it up and put it in their garage. 24:03 And the wife will say, "What did you do that for?" 24:05 And he'll say, "Well honey, that's a good piece of wood. 24:08 We'll be able to use that one day." 24:10 And then he drives another few miles and sees a yard sale 24:13 and buys stuff he'll never use. 24:15 And his barn becomes bigger than his house. 24:22 And he has tools of every kind. 24:26 He has every kind of power tool you can think of. 24:31 Every kind of hammer you can buy. 24:35 And he feels like the ultimate contractor. 24:38 And he doesn't use any of it. 24:40 And when you open his garage, there's no car in it. 24:43 It's just stuff. 24:47 And some people feel secure. 24:49 But don't forget. 24:51 Your life does not consist in the abundance 24:54 of the things that you possess. 24:56 Amen, somebody? 24:57 You've got to remember the Lord. 24:59 Because God prospers us. 25:01 He prospers us, but sometimes when we become prosperous 25:04 we forget God. 25:05 Be careful not to forget God. 25:07 In the Old Testament, the Lord warned the Israelites 25:09 about forgetting Him. 25:11 He brought them out of Egypt. 25:12 He provided every need they had. 25:14 And the Bible says, when they followed God's health plan 25:16 not one of them was feeble on the journey. 25:19 Their clothing and shoes did not wear out. 25:21 When the days were hot, God covered them with a cloud. 25:25 When the nights were cold, He warmed them up 25:27 with a pillar of fire that did not consume them 25:30 but provided them two things: protection and warmth. 25:34 When the serpents and scorpions could have taken their lives, 25:36 God was there defender. 25:38 And when they were hungry, He gave them food 25:40 all day long. 25:43 But when they got fat and prosperous 25:45 they began to forget God. 25:47 And Moses wrote these words for us today. 25:51 Deuteronomy 8:11-17 26:17 Today, our cars and our motorcycles. 26:50 Am I telling you a story tonight? 26:53 We wouldn't be here if it had not been for God's faithfulness. 26:57 We wouldn't be here. 26:58 He continues. 27:01 I know a Lord that my father did not know. 27:24 There are some people that go to college, get a degree, 27:26 get a good job, and they say, 27:28 "My education got me this wealth." 27:33 Don't fool yourself. 27:34 Education may get you a position, 27:36 but God gives you the health to go to work. 27:39 Am I right? 27:41 You can have a degree, but what good would it be 27:43 if you're in the hospital? 27:46 And there are some people that get diseases 27:48 that could have taken their lives, 27:49 and God brings them through. 27:51 It is God who gives us power, 27:53 health to be able to work to get wealth. 27:56 Do not allow the wealth to become your focus. 27:58 May your focus always be on the God that gave you health 28:03 to get that degree, and that gave you power 28:06 to get that position in life. 28:09 Because some of us are just like the rich fool in the Bible. 28:13 There are so many warnings. 28:14 Do you know that the Bible talks about money 28:16 more than the topic of the second coming? 28:21 I think... It talks about... 28:23 The three major topics; you'll find the topic of hell 28:26 is talked about quite a bit. 28:27 But you'll find heaven, money. 28:29 Two topics right up there neck and neck. 28:32 So if money were not important, the Lord would not use it 28:35 or include it in His Word. 28:36 But money is a test of the heart. 28:39 That's why He included that. 28:41 Notice the words of Dr. Luke in Luke 12:16-21. 28:46 Speaking of the rich fool. 28:49 And by the way, this applies to all of us today. 29:45 God will never give you anything that will 29:47 lead you away from Him. 29:50 And if you can't trust God with your money, 29:52 He's not going to trust you with His. 29:54 Did you hear what I just said? 29:56 If you can't trust God with the little you have, 29:59 He's not going to give you the abundance that He has. 30:02 Remember, the Bible says those who are faithful over the least, 30:06 He will make them rulers over much. 30:09 Right now my wife and I are reading in the book of 1 Kings 30:12 about the wealth of Solomon. 30:14 And our minds are just being, our minds are just being 30:17 burned out thinking of the abundance that God gave 30:21 that man named Solomon. 30:23 But Solomon did not ask for things. 30:27 Solomon asked for wisdom. 30:30 When you ask for stuff, that's exactly what God 30:33 is not going to give you. 30:34 And some of the reasons why some of us are poor 30:36 is because God knows if we ever got wealth 30:39 we would walk away from Him. 30:41 God keeps some of us on our knees just so we could be saved. 30:47 I got a call from a lady one day, California, 30:51 older Filipino lady, she said, "Pastor Lomacang." 30:54 And I said, "Yes." 30:56 She says, "I want to talk to you." 30:58 I said, "Sure." 30:59 She says, "I wonder why God is not blessing me. 31:04 Because I want to give money to His work." 31:06 Let me just talk normal. 31:10 Because after a while it doesn't really sound right. 31:13 "Because I want to give money to His work." 31:15 She said, "And if He would only bless me, 31:18 I would give money for evangelism, and the church, 31:21 and help out in different meetings." 31:23 "Okay, great." I said, "Okay, well..." 31:25 After about 40 minutes we talked, wonderful lady, 31:27 I said, "Let me pray for you that God will provide." 31:30 And I said, "Well, I don't know why He hasn't done that." 31:33 She said, "Because I want to give towards His work." 31:35 And when we prayed, she said, "Pastor, 31:38 let me ask you one more thing. 31:40 Is it wrong to gamble?" 31:45 I said, "Are you asking me a question 31:48 or are you telling me that you've been gambling 31:50 trying to provide the church with funds?" 31:52 "Well, I gamble from time to time." 31:56 I said, "That's why God's not blessing you. 31:59 Because you're trying to get it by luck 32:01 rather than by divine appointment." 32:03 Amen? 32:04 There's always a reason why God doesn't bless people. 32:07 It's not because He cannot. 32:09 Because He knows the heart. 32:11 You think it's about the pocket. 32:12 It's really about the heart. 32:16 Some people lay up treasure, and they are not rich toward God. 32:19 I read a poem once I'm going to share with you now. 32:21 Very amazing. 32:22 Matter of fact, I'll give you one more principle 32:24 before I share the poem. 32:25 There are some people that are extremely wealthy 32:27 and they'll write checks for large amounts, 32:29 but it's really not a test of sacrifice. 32:32 And while the check may be large, it doesn't even 32:35 reveal what they really can give. 32:39 That's why the Bible gave an example in Scripture 32:41 about the widow with... How many mites? 32:43 ...two mites. 32:45 Notice Mark 12:44. 33:00 You know it's not how much you give. 33:02 It's the percentage. 33:04 It's the percentage. 33:05 It's the test of your heart. 33:07 Some people say, 'Well you know, I'll pledge a large amount." 33:10 Here's how you'll know it's a sacrifice. 33:12 When it starts to hurt. 33:15 When you start writing and say, "Oh, uh..." 33:19 And be careful. 33:20 Here's an example. 33:22 Ananias and Sapphira. 33:25 They got caught up in everybody pledging. 33:28 God gave them prosperous returns on the land. 33:31 When God blessed them, they decided to keep 33:33 what God gave for themselves. 33:34 They thought to themselves, "Well I didn't think 33:36 the land was worth that much." 33:37 Let me say something. 33:39 Whatever you give to God, He'll make it worth 33:41 more than you think it's worth. 33:43 Because when you give out of the motive of 33:45 blessing His work, He'll give what He knows His work needs. 33:48 But when you steal from Him after He has blessed you, 33:52 and then you lie that God didn't really give you that amount... 33:55 One of the reasons why the Lord dealt with Ananias and Sapphira 33:58 the way He did is because He wanted to communicate 34:01 to the New Testament church that was just beginning 34:05 that He does not have pleasure in fools. 34:09 He says, "Do not..." 34:11 The wise man Solomon says, "Do not allow your mouth 34:14 to cause your flesh to sin." 34:17 It is better not to vow than to vow and not to pay. 34:21 And do no say before the Lord, "It was a mistake." 34:27 Don't ever do that. 34:28 If you vow, give it. 34:31 Because God knows exactly how to return. 34:34 Listen to this poem about greed. 34:35 Be careful not to become a person of greed. 34:38 When we were born with no possessions, 34:40 the love received was our concession. 34:43 No worries, no fears, no troubles, no fuss; 34:46 in mother's arms we put our trust. 34:48 But as we grew, we looked and craved, 34:51 and all too soon became enslaved. 34:54 The more we saw, the more we wanted; 34:57 our quest for more became undaunted. 35:01 Our thirst for more could not be quenched; 35:04 the more we grasped, the tighter we clenched. 35:07 We scampered and gathered, and gathered and hoarded; 35:11 possessions became our master and our lord. 35:15 And when we were old, with our treasures all heaped, 35:18 the sad example of what greed has reaped, 35:22 our fists still clenched in a grasping motion, 35:27 till at last at death our hands were opened. 35:35 Don't know if you got that. 35:39 But that which you hold on all your life to that can't save you 35:42 will finally have to be let go at the moment of death. 35:50 I don't want to jump ahead of myself, 35:51 but we didn't bring anything in the world. 35:53 And we're not taking anything out. 35:56 Amen? 35:58 That's why God has a powerful undaunted plan if you trust Him. 36:03 Let's look at Malachi. 36:05 You can see this guy in the back, he's got a sack of money. 36:07 And he doesn't look like a good character. 36:09 But the Bible begins in Malachi 3:8. 36:26 And notice the scripture. 36:39 Tonight let's understand something about 36:40 tithes and offerings. 36:42 Let's look at this quick example. 36:43 Understanding tithes and offering. 36:45 A tithe is simply ten percent of your income. 36:48 If you total income is $100, you total tithe is how much? 36:53 Ten dollars. 36:54 The offering... 36:55 Because the Bible says, "You'll rob Me in 36:57 tithe and in offerings." 36:58 Your tithe is not designated in Scripture. 37:01 But if you look at the principles throughout 37:03 Scripture, and often times when the tithe was 10%, 37:06 in many cases 5% was given. 37:10 But the offering is how God has prospered you. 37:14 And let me make a very important point about tithe. 37:18 And we'll see this in a moment 37:19 as we continue in the book of Malachi. 37:21 Tithe is not something you pay. 37:28 It's not a bill. 37:30 It's a test of your heart. 37:33 If the Lord gave you ten oranges, and somebody 37:36 came along and said, "Could I have an orange?" 37:39 And you say, "No." 37:41 "I just want one." 37:43 "No." 37:44 Now wouldn't that be awful? 37:47 I read a story about a man who was a, 37:49 he began in the company as a janitor. 37:51 Started as a janitor. 37:52 He did such a good job he became the manager of the janitors. 37:56 He did such a good job there, they promoted him 37:59 to another position, another position. 38:01 And about 15 years later he became right below the 38:04 chief executive in that bank. 38:06 And his salary grew over and over and over. 38:11 And he had an abundant salary. 38:13 And one day he was writing his tithe check. 38:17 And he had almost five zeroes in it. 38:20 Five digits in it. 38:21 Large amount. 38:22 And he looked at that and he thought, 38:24 "Whoa, this is a large check." 38:27 And as he was writing, he tells the story, he said, 38:29 "As I was writing the check reluctantly, 38:32 I heard the Lord say, 'Would it serve you best 38:34 if I gave you back your janitor's job?'" 38:41 One-tenth is one-tenth. 38:43 Can the church say amen? 38:45 It's the same percentage. 38:47 But sometimes we think the amount is what... 38:49 You know, some people, they write a check for 38:51 whatever the amount is, and it's large, and they think, 38:53 "I can't, I can't give that to the church." 38:56 You're not giving it to the church. 38:58 You're putting into the treasury of God. 39:01 And let me make another point. 39:03 Some people have the idea that because they don't 39:05 like the way the money is being used, 39:07 they're going to withhold it. 39:09 Let me make it clear tonight. 39:11 When you withhold... 39:12 Let God deal with the thieves. 39:16 Did you hear what I said? 39:17 If somebody wants to be dishonest in the treasury 39:19 or the use of God's money, God will deal with them. 39:23 But don't let God come after you 39:26 for being dishonest with Him. 39:30 Because the example of Ananias and Sapphira, 39:32 we didn't know what happened with that money in the treasury. 39:35 But God dealt with them because of their dishonest use 39:38 of the money He blessed them with. 39:40 When you give tithe, you return tithe. 39:44 You do what? 39:45 You return tithe. 39:48 And even in the priest who lived according to the tithe, 39:51 notice what the Bible says in the book of Leviticus 27:30. 40:08 That's very important. I can't run past that. 40:11 You don't hold onto what belongs to the Lord. 40:14 It's holy to Him. 40:17 You give holy things to a holy God. 40:21 And by the way, God doesn't need money. 40:25 But He knows He has a work that He's 40:26 established around the world. 40:28 And that's how the gospel is financed. 40:30 Last night I talked about Nicodemus. 40:31 Remember that? 40:33 Nicodemus was a wealthy man. 40:34 When Nicodemus was converted, Nicodemus helped finance 40:38 many of the outreach projects of the New Testament church. 40:42 The reason why the Lord said to this wealthy experienced rabbi, 40:46 pharisee, that he needed to be born again 40:49 is because God knew that if he was born again 40:52 he could be of use to the Lord in the future. 40:54 One of the reasons why so many of us are very well established 40:57 financially and we are of no use to God is because 41:01 we're not born again. 41:04 People that are born again don't hold onto anything 41:07 but the Lord. 41:10 The tithe is holy. 41:11 The Bible continues in verse 32 of Leviticus chapter 27. 41:26 What they did was, they counted as the flock passed, they said, 41:29 One, two, three... They tapped it. 41:32 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. 41:38 Ten, out of line. 41:39 One, two... Ten, out of line. 41:42 That was the one that was holy to God. 41:43 But it passed under a counting rod. 41:46 They tapped the animal as they went by. 41:48 And the tenth one, out of line. That's the holy one to God. 41:51 They were sticklers to that. 41:52 That's why today so many are so still very wealthy 41:56 and still very prosperous. 41:58 You read the stories of some people like JC Penney's. 42:03 Years ago, read the story about JC Penney. 42:05 JC Penney became a wealthy man at a time when the 42:07 nation was struggling financially. 42:09 But he made up his mind to double tithe. 42:13 And JC Penney's is still around today. 42:17 But notice what the Bible says in Malachi 3:10. 42:20 When you are faithful to God, He is more than faithful to us. 42:47 If you don't know how big the windows of heaven are, 42:50 when you go home tonight go to the desert and look up. 42:54 Whatever you see, that's the windows of heaven. 42:56 Come on, somebody. 42:58 That's a serious window, right? 43:00 He'll pour it in. 43:02 If you give it in, He'll pour it in. 43:04 And God can out pour anybody on any day. 43:09 Solomon, I think about what he had. 43:11 Solomon, as we read it, Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses. 43:19 Not even 40,000 horses, but 40,000 stalls of horses. 43:27 I understand. I couldn't react either. 43:30 40,000 stalls. 43:33 Now let me tell you why God has put the tithe 43:36 and offering system together for His church. 43:39 And let's talk about the storehouse tonight. 43:41 Let me give you a glimpse. 43:42 The Seventh-day Adventist is a worldwide church. 43:45 These colors, you may not see it very well, 43:48 all these colors coordinate to different divisions 43:51 around the world that make up the 43:53 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 43:56 This church, Paradise Valley, is in the Pacific Union. 44:00 Let's go further. Let's look at this. 44:02 If you've never been there, this is the world headquarters 44:04 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 44:06 The General Conference in Silver Springs, Maryland. 44:10 I've had the privilege of going there. 44:11 Not too long ago, Pastor Doug Batchelor and I 44:13 did a series there. 44:14 That is, if you could use the phrase, that is the 44:17 heart of the world. 44:20 And the local churches, the local conferences, 44:22 the local unions, the local divisions, 44:25 are all veins and arteries pouring into 44:28 that General Conference. 44:29 Let's look at that. 44:30 Here's the picture of the church... 44:32 If you've never went to a General Conference session, 44:34 if you've never been to a General Conference session, 44:36 this was the San Antonio, Texas General Conference session. 44:39 Over 70,000 people that make up the Adventist church 44:43 from all over the world. 44:44 And these are just representatives. 44:49 You want to see a church in action? 44:51 You might think that this is the church. 44:53 This local church is a part of a 20 plus million member church. 44:59 And wherever you go in the world, and you see the word, 45:01 "Seventh-day Adventist," they're part of the worldwide family. 45:03 Amen, somebody. 45:04 But let's consider the blessing. 45:06 Let's follow the blessing. 45:09 Let's begin with Paradise Valley. 45:11 That's "PV" at the top. 45:13 When people at Paradise Valley are faithful, 45:17 a portion of their tithes and offerings 45:19 goes to the Arizona Conference. 45:22 Then from the Arizona Conference that handles all the churches 45:25 in the Arizona Conference, handling salaries for teachers, 45:30 and for pastors, and insurance, and all the other 45:33 working expenses, a portion of that goes to the Pacific Union. 45:37 And the Pacific Union now handles the finances 45:40 of all the conferences under its union and all their needs. 45:44 And then a portion of the Pacific Union tithes and 45:47 offerings go to the North American Division. 45:50 And the principle is reciprocated over and over. 45:53 In other words, repeated over and over and over again. 45:55 And a portion of that goes to the General Conference. 45:59 But now let's watch this. 46:01 If at the local level giving stops, the Arizona Conference 46:05 will die, and all the other churches in 46:08 the Arizona Conference will die. 46:10 It's like a heart. 46:12 The General Conference is the heart. 46:14 If blood stops flowing to the heart, 46:16 then the whole body starts to die. 46:19 And there are churches around the world that 46:21 cannot afford a pastor. 46:23 But your giving... 46:24 By the way, let me make it very clear, 46:27 the blessing starts with who? 46:29 Say, "me." 46:30 The blessing starts with who? Me. 46:32 When the offering plate is passed and it comes by, 46:35 don't look at it like it's a gun. 46:40 Look at it like it's the source of your blessings. 46:43 Because when you give into that, God will pour 46:45 into your life in ways you'll say, "Unbelievable." 46:50 And it is more blessed to do what? 46:52 Give, than it is to do what? 46:54 To receive. 46:56 The blessing always starts with you. 47:00 The blessing always starts with you. 47:02 And by the way, God can make nine tenths go further 47:09 than ten tenths. 47:11 He can always... 47:13 My wife and I could tell you some stories. 47:14 When we were dating, we had a little old car. 47:16 It only had a forward gear. Did not have a reverse gear. 47:21 And we would use that car for prison ministry every Sabbath. 47:24 And that car never broke down. 47:26 We said to ourselves, "If we use this for something 47:29 other than God's work, something is going to happen." 47:31 One day we went to an amusement park in New Jersey, 47:33 on the way back the transmission gave out on 47:35 the George Washington Bridge. 47:38 Well it didn't go in reverse, and it stopped going forward. 47:43 So after we paid the toll, and the toll operator is 47:45 waiting for us to go, here we are, rrmmm, rrmmm. 47:49 Car not going anywhere. 47:51 We kind of rocked and looked at them and smiled. 47:53 They said, "Go on." 47:54 I think the Lord went... 47:58 Because it started to roll and we went by momentum. 48:00 We just rolled down the George Washington Bridge, 48:03 and by God's grace didn't have to stop, 48:05 until we stopped on a side street and 48:07 called our family for help. 48:09 But let me tell you this. 48:10 Ever since we have been married and gave our lives to the Lord, 48:13 we've never had those issues. 48:15 Even last night, let me tell you a big blessing, 48:17 when we left last night, we got to church late last night, 48:21 we got here on a donut. 48:23 That means the car had a flat at the hotel. 48:25 And Jill and Greg and some of our camera guys came out. 48:28 Brad and other guys came out, Ralph. 48:30 And they came out just in time so that this poor preacher 48:34 didn't have to get on his knees in a suit 48:36 and change the tire. 48:38 And Greg, praise God he did that, and Brad helped. 48:40 And praise the Lord for both of them. 48:42 And then we couldn't find the car place, 48:44 so we came to church very late. 48:46 And afterwards they said, "Now drive 48:48 all the way to the airport." 48:49 We had this little tiny car. 48:51 We are frugal with what God gives into the ministry of 3ABN. 48:56 We got to the airport, and they treated us like royalty. 49:00 They said, "Sir, we apologize for any inconvenience. 49:06 What kind of car would you like?" 49:09 Well... 49:10 Now they gave us four brands to choose from. 49:12 Well you've got the Buick, or Chevy, or Toyota, or Nissan. 49:16 "Ah well, you know, any one, but I like Nissan, Toyota." 49:22 They went and got it, they said, "Sir, okay what do you..." 49:24 They brought us a 2018 with all the bells and whistles: 49:28 collision avoidance, rear camera, lane departure warning. 49:33 Everything, every bell and whistle it had. 49:36 Sirius satellite. 49:37 And the lady said, "Oh by the way, 49:39 one more thing we're going to do. 49:40 We're going to give you a full tank of gas." 49:42 Jill, listen up. 49:44 "Which means you can bring it back to the airport fully empty. 49:47 We don't really care." 49:49 Amen? 49:51 Why? Because God... You know why that happened? 49:53 Because God can do it. That's why it happened. 49:56 He shows out sometimes. 49:58 He shows out sometimes. 49:59 That's why the Bible says... 50:00 Look at what God promises to do when you're faithful. 50:03 Malachi 3:11-12 50:26 When you are faithful, God is faithful. 50:31 Oh I wish I had another hour. 50:34 Or two. 50:36 When my wife and I were praying... 50:37 I've got two scriptures, and I'll get it in there. 50:40 When my wife and I were praying as young people, 50:42 "Lord, open the door for us in ministry," 50:44 we got all the way to California on prayer. 50:48 We had just a thousand dollars that was advanced to us 50:51 from the conference that called us. 50:53 With no degree. 50:55 I prayed, "Lord, open the door in ministry." 50:58 We're living in Florida. 50:59 Get a phone call from the Northern California Conference 51:01 president, and here's the message. 51:03 "There's a position in evangelism. 51:05 Are you interested?" 51:08 We got all the way to California with just under $400 left. 51:11 And with the first and last months rent, everything in 51:14 California, everything expensive. 51:17 The Lord found us an apartment building, 51:19 a brand new apartment building. 51:21 Every time we went to get an apartment, 51:23 they turned us down. 51:25 Every time we put in an application, $25, they said, 51:27 "No," "No," "No." 51:29 You know what I've learned? 51:30 When they say no, God's got something better. 51:34 So finally in desperation, my wife said, "Honey, if we 51:37 leave now, we have just enough money to get back to Florida." 51:40 And we were staying in a... 51:41 We were staying, not in a motel, but a yotel. 51:44 That's below motel. 51:46 That's where the truckers stop when they 51:48 can't find any place else. 51:50 That's where you don't take your shoes off. 51:52 And you don't use the shower. 51:55 So here we are in our yotel with hardly any money left. 51:59 And my wife said, "We can make it if we leave now." 52:03 I said, "Honey, God didn't bring us this far to leave us." 52:05 Come on, get an amen somewhere. 52:07 So I threw the newspaper down and there was a 52:09 small ad; $75. 52:10 I said, "Well you know what? 52:11 Right now we'll take anything." 52:13 Called the place and said, "Can we come now 52:15 and fill the application out?" 52:16 He said, "Come on." 52:17 We drove up a hill to a brand new apartment complex. 52:19 I said, "This is nice." 52:21 I said, "Honey, everybody else turned us down. 52:23 There ain't no way we're going to get a place here." 52:25 The lady didn't pay us any attention. 52:26 We filled the application out. 52:30 4:57, she wanted to go home at 5:00, 52:31 she said, "Check with me tomorrow." 52:33 We called the next morning, because we had to 52:34 check out of our yotel by 11:00. 52:37 So, no call. 52:39 "Ma'am..." "Yes, sir, who are you?" 52:41 "I'm John Lomacang." "How can I help you?" 52:43 "Remember last night?" "Oh yeah, your application." 52:45 "Yes. And what happened?" 52:48 "Oh, you got approved." 52:50 Amen. 52:52 But that's the first part. 52:53 How are we going to afford this? 52:56 How are we going to afford this? 52:57 How are we going to afford this, honey? 53:00 So we got up there and we said... 53:01 We're looking at a manicured property. 53:03 Beautiful nice bright yellow lines. 53:06 The security guard had on a suit that was creased. 53:10 I'm thinking, this is not in our pocket. 53:13 "How much will it take to get in?" 53:18 "$238.00" 53:21 "Really? Is that it?" 53:25 You know, those questions you are afraid to ask, "Is that it?" 53:27 "That's it." 53:30 "Well, what apartment?" 53:32 She said, "We only have one apartment left." 53:34 I said, "Okay." 53:36 So we walked across the grass kind of holding our breath. 53:40 She said, "And here it is. 53:42 By the way, it's the model apartment with all the bells, 53:45 all the whistles." 53:46 The real stone tops, the carpets, the extended curtains. 53:50 It's got all the bells that all the others don't have. 53:54 And God has a way of putting His signature on stuff. 53:57 It was apartment number seven. 54:00 Amen. 54:03 Okay, we're in the apartment now. 54:05 We're getting excited. We're in the apartment now. 54:07 "Okay, how much will it take to turn the phone on?" 54:09 She said, "It's already on. You don't have to pay a dime. 54:12 Just call and change it into your name." 54:13 Amen. 54:15 "Well, what about the lights?" 54:16 "They're already on. Can't you see? 54:18 Just call the company and put it in your name." 54:20 "Well, what about the heat?" 54:22 "It's already on. 54:23 Just call them and put it in your name." 54:26 And that's just the tip of my iceberg. 54:29 Let me tell you something. 54:30 We have made it 31 years in ministry 54:32 and on the way to 35 years in marriage, 54:33 not because we found a great plan, 54:36 but we have a great God. 54:38 Timothy said it this way. 54:52 Oh it's true, my friends. 54:54 "And my God..." Come on, say that with me. 54:55 "And my God..." 54:56 Come on, one more time. "And my God..." 55:06 As you trust Him, you'll see the difference 55:09 He makes in your life. 55:15 When we walk with the Lord 55:23 in the light of His word, 55:28 what a glory He sheds on our way. 55:40 While we do His good will 55:46 He abides in us still, 55:52 and with all who will trust and obey. 55:59 Can we join you, Lyndon? Can we join you? 56:02 Trust and obey, for there's no other way 56:13 to be happy in Jesus 56:20 but to trust and obey. 56:25 I'm going to have him sing another stanza. 56:26 Tonight somebody came in here... 56:28 Just stand right now. 56:30 Somebody came in here wondering 56:32 how they're going to make it. 56:34 You don't have to worry about how you're going to make it. 56:37 God's already got it figured out. 56:41 He counted His resources, as Danny said, 56:44 and He found that He's not lacking. 56:48 And God will supply all your need. 56:50 But He just wants to see where your heart is. 56:53 Not your bank balance, but your faith balance. 56:57 He wants you to believe His word, 57:00 put His plan into action, 57:03 invest in a system that will never fail. 57:06 And recognize when the earth and all of its riches 57:09 have been consumed in the fires of eternity, 57:13 you'll walk through a city made of precious stones. 57:17 So friends, tonight as we leave, may you keep trusting God, 57:21 believing Him, and He is faithful. 57:24 Amen, somebody. 57:25 Let's sing that song one more time. 57:28 The chorus, trust and obey. 57:32 Oh trust and obey, 57:37 for there's no other way 57:43 to be happy in Jesus 57:50 but to trust and obey. |
Revised 2019-05-14