Sermon Notes 01-11-09

January 11th 2009 “The Contract”
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD,” Jeremiah 29:11-14

Joke: A woman in Brooklyn decided to prepare her Will and make her final requests. She told her rabbi she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered all over Bloomingdales."Why Bloomingdales?" asked the rabbi."Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week."
We may not be able to count on our family members—but what about God?Can we count on God? Answer: YES!
1. Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
With every promise there is a requirement!
Requirement means: to place in front of: Pre-Conditions!
There is a condition that God says, “If you do this, I will do that!”

God’s Covenant With Man:
God made a covenant with Abraham: Genesis 15:18 “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.”

1st The Pre-Qualification!A. The Pre-Qualifying comes before the Promise!
Pre-Qualifying is the doing of our part in obedience!
Being generous to others comes first!

Jesus says in Luke 6:38 “38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. “Pre-Qualifying means to place in front of: things that have to be done prior to whatever!

Pre-Qualify before you buy a home;
Pre-Qualify before you buy a car;
Pre-Qualify before you go to heaven!

God’s Pre-Qualifications says, “If you do this, I will do that!” 2nd Chronicles 7:14 “14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
People want to take the “Promise” of 2nd Chronicles 7:14 the hearing from heaven and the forgiveness of sins and the healing of the land!” and they want to avoid the Pre-Qualification of—the humbling and praying and seeking of God’s face!

God has always kept His word:
Noah—Genesis 6:17-18 “I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18But I will establish my covenant with you” 22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 17:1-2 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

God’s Covenant With Man:
1st The Pre-Qualification!
2nd The Promise Given!

A. The “Promise!” Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In the Bible, there are 40 verses on "baptism", 275 verses on "prayer", 350 verses on "faith", 650 verses on "love" -- and 2,350 verses that relate specifically to finances and material possessions.

Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

“And MY GOD WILL…” circle “my God!” The Source!
“My” God means that He is your Father—you can’t be a child of God until you’ve be born into His family!

V19 “And MY GOD WILL…will meet…” The Scope!

It doesn’t say that God might meet your needs!
It doesn’t say God may meet your needs!
It says He WILL meet your needs!
God is going to take care of your needs—as long as you’re his Child!

C. Pastor, “Does this cover all my wants?” No, just your “needs!” v19 “And My God will meet all your needs…!”
“Needs” PíÜãêáéò = anagkais Hardships; inescapable hardships, difficulties!
Needs, not all your wants!
Children have a hard time distinguishing between “Needs” and “Wants!”
Adults have a hard time distinguishing between the need and the want!

Illustration: In 1890 a sociologist did a study and asked Americans what they thought were the basic needs of life: They were asked what are the absolute bare minimum necessities you fell you have to have in order to survive? The study taken in 1890 revealed that Americans thought there was 16 basic things every one needed in order to survive! The same study was given 100 years later, same question was, “What is the bare minimum necessities you feel you have to have in order to survive?” Just 100 years latter the number of minimum necessities jumped from 16 to 98 things in order to survive! Our wants have a way of being exaggerated into needs—TV, VCR, DVD, Computers, Cars, Airplanes, Microwaves and the list goes on and on!

God’s Covenant With Man:
1st The Pre-Qualification!
2nd The Promise Given!
3rd The Co-sign Guarantor!
Cosigner Guarantor is someone who will be able to payoff the debt if you default!
Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

BILLY GRAHAM said: “A checkbook is a theological document, it will tell you who and what you worship.” B. Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

There are two false ideas about God these days!
One, that God wants everybody to be a millionaire!
Two, that God wants everybody to be poor!
One idea says, “God wants us all to drive around in expensive cars and live in luxurious homes and have gold plumbing fixtures!”
The other idea says, “God can only bless you when you have nothing and are living in extreme poverty, and that poverty is next to Godliness!”

Both are wrong!The Bible doesn’t say: Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all my GREEDS according to His riches in glory!” But “My God shall supply all my NEEDS according to His riches in glory!”
“According to His riches” this is a very significant statement!

How rich is God?

Sam Walton, was one of the wealthiest men in America, a billionaire, was one of those when the stock market crashed a couple of years ago, and lost over a billion dollars in one day! He said: “It’s just paper!”(I guess you could say that if you had 50 billion more!) If Sam Walton wrote you a check of a $1,000 dollars, that would be written out of his riches. If he gave you a blank check and said you could write a check for whatever you needed, now that would be giving according to his riches! A blank check!

“According to His riches”—Paul is saying: “God will supply your needs according to His riches!”
A blank check is worthless if the name on the account is penniless!
“According to His riches!” Whose riches? God’s wealth!

“My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!” Signed, Jesus Christ! God’s check never comes, back-NSF! Non-Sufficient Funds!

God’s Covenant With Man: cosign1st The Pre-Qualification!Pre-Condition is the doing of our part in obedience! 2nd The Promise Given!
Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Premise or Principle is this: God is saying to you and to me: “I will give you a Irrevocable Insurance Plan!” “A Life Management Plan and After Death Plan!”

3rd The Co-sign Guarantor!
The contract is only as good as the One’s who sign it!
If you will meet the “Premise”—that is the basics that God has laid out for you—then God “promises”— Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I heard somebody say: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could keep the spirit of Christmas all year long?”
What is the Spirit of Christmas? It is the Spirit of GIVING!

Mary Gave!
Joseph Gave!
The Shepherds Gave!
The wise men gave!

God Gave!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten son, that who so ever believeth in Him should have everlasting life.”
Become a GIVER THIS NEW YEAR and learn to Give and Receive!

I talked with a couple last Sunday after the service! They said that until they learned these principles of God’s Management Plan, they were floundering and finances were hard! But since they learned to tithe and give, their lives have been turned up-side-down!