Biblical Prosperity Lesson 2 part 1

Biblical Prosperity

Chapter Two

Prosperity of the spirit

There are many people who have physical and financial prosperity, but do not have spiritual prosperity. Basketball, football players and other athletes may have strong healthy bodies and may have amassed a lot of wealth, but may not know about spiritual prosperity. Popular actors, singers, leaders of governments and etc. may have amassed a lot of wealth, but may not know about spiritual prosperity. Even some so called religious apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors/teachers, and missionaries do not have spiritual prosperity. Many professed Christians and church members do not have spiritual prosperity. Spiritual prosperity is a personal relationship with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Romans 10:8-10 is the beginning of your path to spiritual prosperity.

Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The word believe in the Greek means the following:

4100 pisteuo { pist-yoo’-o} AV - believe 239, commit unto 4, commit to (one’s) trust

1) be committed unto 1) be put in trust with 1) be commit to one’s trust

1) believer 1) 2481) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in

1a) of the thing believed

1a1) to credit, have confidence

1b) in a moral or religious reference

1b1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul

1b2) to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith

1bc) mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith

2) to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity 2a) to be entrusted with a thing

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

Your intellect was trained to see first, and then believe. This is why you have a problem when you try to believe there is a real God and He has a real Son. This is why Jesus said in Mark 10:15.

Mark 10:15“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

When you came into this world, your spirit and soul were pure and clean, but as you grew in the world, you began to take in all the pollution of the world around you. Your five senses began to take in pollution and darkened your spirit as shown in Illustration #1 in the abstract of this paper. This is why you could not understand the things of God because your spirit could not see God. When you made a decision in your soul to confess Jesus as the Son of God, you released the Holy Spirit to come in and remove darkness from your spirit as illustrated in Illustration #2. Since the light has come into your spirit, you have connected with the supernatural, which is God. Now that you have believed as a little child, you have become a child of God. This is the beginning of being saved.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Work out is a command verb in the Greek which involves continuous and repeated action. To work out completely means to bring to finish through God in you. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. Your health, rescue, deliverance, safety, soundness and prosperity all come from within, God working in you, inside out, and coming upon you. (Davis Dictionary p.21)

Many Christians stop at this point and believe that they are going to heaven, but will have to live in trouble and trials for the rest of their lives, and they will get every thing when they die and go to heaven. In common sense this is not normal that a child stay a child. If a one- year old child stopped growing mentally and the body grew to full maturity, he would be a moron.

The same thing happens spiritually. Notice in Romans 10:10 that when you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that righteousness and salvation is involved. What is righteousness? In the Greek righteousness is:

AV - righteousness 92; 92

GK - 1466 { dikaiosuvnh }

1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

1a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

1b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due.

2) prosperity (of people)

Righteousness is believing in your heart and not in your head that this experience is happening in you. Believing in your head or in your five senses says you have to have a feeling or can change what you believe when circumstances change in your life. Believing in your heart says no matter what you feel or no matter what the circumstances are that are going on around you, the word of God says I am righteous according to Romans 10:10. Also read 2 Corinthians 5:21.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Now that you believe in your heart that you are righteous, Roman 10:10 continues to say that with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Mark 11:23 states this as well.

Mark 11:23“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

An unbeliever will say “You can’t say that.” A believer in his heart doesn’t look at the circumstances, but at what he knows and he knows what Jesus said. Since you are now going to make a confession unto salvation, you need to know what salvation is.

Salvation-4991 soteria { so-tay-ree’-ah}

AV - salvation 40, the (one) be saved 1, deliver + 1325 1, health 1, saving 1, that (one) be saved + 1519 1; 45

GK - 5401 { swthriva }

1) deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation

1a) deliverance from the molestation of enemies

1b) in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the souls safety or salvation

1b1) of Messianic salvation

2) salvation as the present possession of all true Christians

3) future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.

Saved-4982 sozo { sode’-zo}

from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, “safe”); TDNT - 7:965,1132;

AV - save 93, make whole 9, heal 3, be whole 2, misc 3; 110

GK - 1751 { ejkswv/zw }* & 5392 { swv/zw }

1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction

1a) one (from injury or peril)

1a1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health

1b1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

1b) to save in the technical biblical sense

Now that you know in your heart that you are saved, you are righteous, and heading toward salvation with your mouth, the darkness has been removed from around your spirit and you can begin to see with your spirit, which is an inner knowing. Therefore you are saved in your spirit. You probably did not remember much about life as a baby, but as you began to grow you began to wonder where you came from and how did you get here. This is the same way with a new born again Christian. In Genesis 1:26-27 the scripture tell you who you are and from where you came.

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

You were created in God’s own image and his own likeness. This was not referring to Adam and Eve. If He said, “Let us create Adam and Eve in our own likeness and in our own image, then He would have only created Adam and Eve. When God says something, then that is what it has to be. When God spoke this everyone who was, is, and will be on this earth was created. You were created like him. God is a Spirit therefore, you are a spirit. The Hebrew word here is Elohim meaning:

430 Õelohiym { el-o-heem’}

plural of 433; TWOT - 93c; n m p

AV - God 2346, god 244, judge 5, GOD 1, goddess 2, great 2, mighty 2, angels 1, exceeding 1, God-ward + 4136 1, godly 1; 2606

GK - 466 { µyhil¿aÔ

1) (plural) God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit

1a) rulers, judges

1b) divine ones

1c) angels

1d) gods

2) (plural intensive - singular meaning)

2a) god, goddess

2b) godlike one

2c) works or special possessions of God

2d) the (true) God

When God said let us, he was saying let us make mankind in the likeness and image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If God is a Spirit, then we would be little spirits. God created male and female because in God is both male and female gender in spirit. Notice in the definition of God the word goddess is included. Your earthly body is a combination of your father’s and your mother’s genes.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid the respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

Notice that once you were created a spirit like God, the next thing was the blessing of God. This happened in Genesis 1:28. From the foundation of the world you were already blessed as a spirit. What does blessed mean? There are several words in the Hebrew and Greek. Here are a few:

833 Õashar { aw-shar’} or Õasher { aw-share’}

a primitive root; TWOT - 183; v

AV - blessed 7, lead 2, go 2, guide 1, happy 2, leaders 1, relieve 1; 16

GK - 886 { rv'a;} & 887

1) to go straight, walk, go on, advance, and make progress

1a) (Qal) to go straight on, make progress

1b1) to go straight on, advance

1b2) to lead on (causative)

1b3) to set right, righten

1b4) to pronounce happy, call blessed

1c1) to be advanced, be led on

1c2) to be made happy, be blessed

1293 B^erakah { ber-aw-kaw’}

from 1288;; n f

AV - blessing 61, blessed 3, present 3, liberal 1, pools 1; 69

GK - 1388 { hk;r;B]

1) blessing

2) (source of) blessing

3) blessing, prosperity

4) blessing, praise of God

5) a gift, present

6) treaty of peace

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

You were created from the foundation s of the earth and you came on the earth. Since God is eternal, then you are eternal. You were, you are, and always will be as a spirit. Note the following Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Adam was the first spirit wrapped in a body, possessing a soul, to live on the earth which God created for mankind. There is order in God. If God has plans and we are created in his image, then we must have plans as spirits. At the same time you were created, the plan for your life was also created. Look at Psalms 139:16:

Psalm 139:16, Hebrews 10:7

Ps. 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”

Since you were the only creation made like God, then your plans are good because God is good. Look at Psalms 35:27:

Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Notice in Genesis 1:28 God said “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” The questions is, “Are you being fruitful and multiplying?” If you are living God’s plan for your life, you will prosper in all your ways. See Job 36:11

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity,

and their years in pleasures.

You might ask, "How do I find out the plan and purpose for my life?” Note in 2 Chronicles 26:5:

2 Chronicles 26:5, 31:21:

2 Chron.26:5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

2 Chronicles 31:20-21 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God.21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

Continued....

Biblical Prosperity

Biblical Prosperity

Lesson 1

Introduction to the Subject of Prosperity

The word prosperity, prosper, prospered, prospering, prosperous and prospers is mentioned in the Bible 98 times. In the Old Testament three words are used for prosperity in the Hebrew Language. The first word is tsalech which means: to push forward, break out, come mightily, go over, be good, be profitable, and to prosper. These describe outward sociopolitical and bodily prosperity. The second word is sakel, which means: expert, deal intelligently, skill, have good success, wise. This describes the prosperity of the soul - of mind, will, emotion and intellect. The third word is shalah, which means: to be tranquil, be happy, be in safety, prosperity. These describe the prosperity of the spirit. Thus prosperity in the Old Testament was not simply the financial or economic prosperity. Most modern prosperity teachers make their mistakes here. God’s concern is not limited to man’s basic needs. It encompasses the totality of man. When God prospers it is the balance that is His concern, probably and often at the pain of some other area. It is the man as a whole who prospers, not his wealth. Wealth comes as a part of the package, and if and only if it prospers the total man. It is this that is echoed in 3 John 2:3. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health (prospers in body --KJV echo)) and that all may go well with you, even as your (you prosper in soul and spirit-- KJV echo) soul is getting along well.

3 John 2:3 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. (NKJ)

2137 euodoo { yoo-od-o’-o)

AV - prosper 3, have a prosperous journey 1; 4

GK - 2338 {eujodovw}

1) to grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way

2) to grant a successful issue, to cause to prosper

3) to prosper, be successful

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

If on the other hand if the soul does not prosper, then prosperity in wealth will become a curse. In the New Testament the Greek word ‘yuodoo’ (Strong p.496, p.525, p.548, and p.729) is used in 3 John 2 and also in 1 Corinthians 16:2.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income (as he prospers -- KJV echo) , saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

This word ‘yuodoo’ means to help on the road, to succeed in business affairs, to have a prosperous journey, to meet the desires of the heart. The Bible teaches us that we are on a journey on this earth. Our life is a pilgrimage towards a perfect place of eternal abode of New Heavens. All the patriarchs lived a life conscious of this fact. Heb 11:8 -10 says by faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.(NKJ)

The written definition of prosperity sounds wonderful, but with all the storms going on in your life you might say,” I don’t see how prosperity can be for me with all the bad luck I have.” The problem facing you is how to get your need met, spiritually, physically and financially while you live on this earth on your way to heaven. This comes to believers and non-believers. Your need changes from time to time, but the fact of life is that when one need is met, another need presents itself. You are never without a need. Sickness hits, the job market gets bad, taxes go up and trouble is in your family. There is more month than you have money. Bad news comes, causing pain and headaches. The car breaks down, the roof leaks where you live, you get a ticket running the red light or get a ticket going 65 in a 55 miles an hour zone. You get up to go to work, if you have a job, and have a flat tire which causes you to be late, then you get written up by a bad boss. You try to get your child up for school, your child gets sick. This causes more doctor bills. You can’t sleep at night; so-and-so won’t speak, looked right at you and walked on by. “Who cares?” That kid of yours, won’t he ever straighten out? You got a divorce today. Then you say, “Maybe I will go to church today to see if they have any answers?” You can’t relate to the preacher’s message. He doesn’t appear to be talking about you or where you are in life. Others appear to enjoy the message and the church service. You greet friends, and someone says hello to you or gives you a “God bless you.” You go home with the same old problems and still feel lonely inside.

You open the Bible to do what a good Christian should: read and study and let God speak to you from His Word. You read, but you wonder what it means. You read where it happened back there thousands of years ago to people and you question whether this a real person like yourself. Did they go through the things the Bible says they did? They had mighty prophets who said, “Thus saith the Lord, do this and things will work out for you, even if God has to give you a miracle!” Where are such mighty men and women of God today? This is the world we live in, not the heaven we’re going to someday. This is where you hurt. This is where you lack health, money, friends, and hope. This is where the battle is. This is where the struggle never goes away. This is the real world. Obviously you did not get into these problems over night. Jesus talked about this in Mathew 7:24-27.

Matthew 7:24-27“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:25 “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:27 “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Notice what Jesus said. The house is you. The rock is explained as Jesus according to Matthew 16:15-16. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear (awe, confidence or trust) of the Lord is just the beginning of wisdom. A light bulb does not go off in your head all at once and you completely trust God, but you must begin to seek him daily, not just at one or two church services each week. The foolish man is one who lives in his five senses and has his confidence in the world’s system. The sand is the world system. The rain, wind, the floods are troubles and struggles of life you are going through. Notice that troubles comes to everyone, the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one is exempt from attacks. The person who has his faith in God and knows the Word of God knows that the attacks do not shake him. He lives by faith and not by sight. The more he knows about God and who He is makes one stronger. The person who built on the sand is destroyed by fear. The scriptures in 2 Peter 1:2 says:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

You turn on your television and see all the handsome men and beautiful women wearing all those beautiful clothes, driving those shiny new automobiles and living in beautiful mansions. Then you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder why God didn’t make you like what you saw on television. No matter how hard your tried you hair fell out until there is no more left. You have used every kind of diet pill you could find. You have starved yourself almost to the point of collapsing, but still just can’t make yourself as thin as those people on television. Your feet are too big, your ears stick out, and your nose is too long. Then you wonder if anyone else has as many problems as you. Then you ask yourself, “How on earth am I going to get out of this mess?” Begin to realize you did not get in this mess over night, and you will not change this mess over night. (Roberts p.10) So where do we start? Let’s begin with knowing about the Biblical way of prosperity. You should know that Biblical prosperity is in spirit, health, and wealth.

4 FACTS ABOUT YOU

4 FACTS ABOUT YOU

1. You were known before you were seen.

(Gen 1:26-27) And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

(Jer 1:5) Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a........................

2. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

(Psa 139:14-15) I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth.

3. You cost Jesus a lot.

(Heb 12:2) looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.

4. You have been called by name.

"To Him who overcomes... I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it." (Rev.2:17c)

To him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God, and My new name.(Rev 3:12)

(Isa 45:3) And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I am Jehovah, who calls you by your name, the God of Israel.

(Joh 10:3) The doorkeeper opens to him, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

THREEFOLD REDEMPTION

Isaiah 53:4 says, ''Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.''

''Borne''- The Hebrew word means ''to bear a burden'' for another. [ It is often spoken of the bearing of sin], in the sense of substitution, to take upon the penalty for another. Significantly, it means to ''bear on the body'', for another.

''Carried'' - The Hebrew word means to ''carry away'' or ''remove''.

Both words are synonymous in meaning, conveying, however, the separate ideas of substitution (borne), and total removal (carried).

''Griefs''- This is literally ''sicknesses'', or as the Masoretic text says, ''illnesses''. [i.e., literal physical sicknesses and diseases.]

''Sorrows''- This can be translated as physical diseases, but 11 out of the 16 OT references have to do with mental suffering and anguish. Metaphorically it is the pain of the soul as opposed to the body or spirit. It can be literally translated as ''pain''.

Therefore, ''sorrows'' are pains of the mind, while ''griefs'' are pains of the body.

In Isaiah 53:12, the word ''borne'' is used in the exact same semantic form, to state that, ''... He bore the sin of many...'' and the root is used in verse 11 to say that, ''... he shall bear their iniquities.'' The Messiah ''bore'' our sicknesses and diseases, once for all, to the same degree that He ''bore'' our sins and iniquities, once for all.

Traditional Jewish understanding of Isaiah 53:4, was that the Messiah would be He who would be able to bear, for us physical diseases and carry away our sorrows, or mental disease.

There was, from the literal interpretation of the Hebrew, the understanding that the Messiah would actually be sick! In fact the Messiah was called, ''The leper of the house of Rabbi''. This led to the erroneous speculation that many ''holy'' rabbi might be the Messiah, because they were sickly and diseased most of their lives.

Jesus not only delivered us from our sins, but in His death and resurrection delivered us from mental anguish and physical sickness and disease in the body. In other words, redemption is three fold; spirit (sin); soul (sorrows); and body (sickness).