Mike Bickle emphasizes the importance of understanding financial rewards from God, as outlined in Matthew 6:4. He explains that giving is not merely a transaction but a relational interaction with God, where our generosity reflects our love for Him and invites His blessings into our lives. Bickle shares personal testimonies of how God has responded to his faithfulness in giving, illustrating the concept of 'power encounters' where God meets our needs in miraculous ways. He warns against the dangers of covetousness and encourages believers to embrace a biblical view of prosperity that focuses on generosity and kingdom purposes. Ultimately, Bickle calls for a heart posture that seeks to love God through our financial decisions.

Okay, let's turn to Matthew chapter 6 Matthew 6 Father we ask you for Inspiration by the Holy Spirit and Lord, I ask you to come and mark our hearts now in the Holy Spirit. We say teach us inspire us Come and show us what's on the Father's heart related to finances and money and we thank you in Jesus name. Amen Well in this session 14 on the Sermon on the Mount, I want to talk about Receiving the Father's reward related to money and in this way we express our love for Jesus But there's one thing that Jesus highlights in this Matthew chapter 6 that I want to highlight this morning and that is How we are to receive the Father's reward and the fact that it is the Father's reward that we are receiving related to money Now Matthew chapter 6 there are quite a few references to finances in this chapter So if there was one chapter of the Gospels where Jesus spoke about money and gave more principles it would be actually this this passage here and we have a Bit of this on the notes that we won't actually cover in the teaching here now. I love talking about giving money Before God the reason I like to talk about that is because it's what I call power encounters in finances that when I give money and God sees me and there's this interaction between his heart and my heart and he actually Answers my giving in a specific way in a way where the amount I gave and the timing that I gave it Corresponds with how he answers That's what I call a power encounter with finance to see that God's interacting with my heart. It's so exciting It's exhilarating to our heart and so I want to talk a little bit about that give a few testimonies as well from my own life as to how I've seen this happen and what it did to my heart and my Goal is to inspire you to believe for that dynamic interaction It's more than just how to get money from God But it's the fact that he sees and interacts with us and what that means to us that he cares and he watches so intently Okay, let's look at a Rome number one. I want to give the biblical background for prosperity for just a moment because when Jesus says the verse we're going to highlight that the Father will openly reward us If he's Referencing actually to the Old Testament doctrine where God promises prosperity to his people There's a lot of different views about what prosperity is and how it works and how we walk in it And I want to just get a little bit on that this morning paragraph a Money is one of the most important and prominent themes in the whole Bible Jesus talked more on money than almost any other subject and that's that's surprising to some folks Now the whole testimony of Scripture lays out many important biblical principles principles on how to obtain money How to manage it how to save it how to invest it how to multiply it just using natural wisdom There are biblical principles on how money is multiplied by the wise Employment of biblical principles Now it's interesting that when Jesus taught on money Though he fully endorses and supports the larger testimony of Scripture on all these principles He doesn't actually Focus on those principles himself. He honors them. He upholds them in no way nullifies them But he points out two major themes throughout the Gospels related to finance The first point that he says a number of times is that God? promises to multiply finances to supernaturally multiply them Now again, that's an Old Testament doctrine that Jesus validates in the New Testament So he makes that point a number of times Because in making that point he's not appealing to greed or covetousness He's appealing for two people to have this dynamic Interaction with God because it it so exhilarates our spirit this interaction does So that's one point that he emphasizes a number of times God promises to supernaturally multiply our finances The second point that he makes which he makes even with greater emphasis is he warns us of the spiritual dangers of covetousness That as God multiplies our finances He warns us and challenges us not to have a wrong spirit towards money The Lord says that he wants to multiply it but for the right reasons Not so that you could live independent of God But rather that you would interact with God in a greater way and be involved in his kingdom purposes So from the biblical point of view old a New Testament We need to understand that prosperity is a blessing. It's a biblical blessing But we need to understand the danger that goes along with it which Jesus highlights the spiritual dangers now The Bible says that prosperity is a blessing and poverty is a curse The reason I say that is that some people think that poverty somehow is a virtue. It's not a virtue It's not a virtue but it's the Bible calls it a curse that were that we should seek to be able to Alleviate from our life for the lives of people now over the years or some many years ago I mean I myself and my wife Diane we made a commitment to believe God for great prosperity We made this in our early 20s when we were first married age 21 22 About 35 years ago. We said we are going to believe you for supernatural prosperity Because it's biblical Old and New Testament But we made a commitment to live a simple lifestyle that we wanted to use the money to increase the work of the kingdom and We wanted to use the money to sew it back to have more dynamic Experiences with God of him answering it and then multiplying the money because it's so exciting So over the years because we've had this commitment I've had a number of friends over the years and they would say man You need to get into the biblical doctrine of prosperity. God wants to bless you and I go now I'm really into that biblical doctrine and what they mean is you need to get a bigger house And they said it looks like you're a little bit into poverty. I said, no, no. No, I'm not into poverty. That's a curse I'm into generosity, which is a virtue I want to believe for tremendous amounts, but I want to use it to sew it into the gospel not just to get more stuff Now it's okay to get more stuff. God has boundary lines on each person and that's between you and the Lord but But some people they would come in around me over the years and say wow, I just really love your poverty mentality I go. No, I don't have a poverty mentality. I'm believing God for millions of dollars. I'm a prosperity guy But my simple lifestyle the commitment again is a it's a commitment to giving it's a commitment to sewing Not a commitment to poverty. That's not what it is. And I call it a simple lifestyle So some are confused by that so I want to encourage you to believe God for prosperity But use the prosperity in ways that benefits the kingdom and your own life, of course But don't use it mostly and only for your own life now my definition of prosperity I have it here in paragraph a is having enough money to meet our needs and Money above that to bless other people and to sow into the kingdom that the kingdom would increase So let me say it again the biblical. I believe that the biblical definition of prosperity. It's the one I use It's not any particular one verse, but when you put the whole testimony of Scripture together We have our needs met and we have Money beyond that to sow into other people's lives to bless others and to increase the kingdom So many believers in America are living in prosperity, even if they don't use that term Now prosperity has many levels to it. I mean many different measures. You're living in prosperity if you're you know meeting your your needs and you have extra to give to others But some people think only if you're a millionaire or more than that and I want to say that prosperity doesn't require You're a millionaire before you're walking in prosperity Okay paragraph B God gives power to give wealth in order to establish his covenant. Let's look at Deuteronomy 8 verse 18 Here's what Moses is saying and he received it directly from the Lord God gives power to get wealth there is a Supernatural dimension in getting wealth that God desires to release in the context of his people Now he gives us the reason that God adds this supernatural dimension It is so that he would establish his covenant The one aspect of that covenant of establishing the covenant means God wants to give you increase So that you could use the money to bring the benefits of the covenant that we have with Jesus to other people in other words funding the gospel and Not just faraway nations that as local and abroad and in personal ways in supporting people, etc So the Lord makes it clear There are biblical wise Natural laws of finances if you use those natural laws of finances Your money will increase and that's good. That's biblical But what the Lord's saying here in Deuteronomy 8 18 There's something beyond the natural process of wise use of money for increase there's a Supernatural dimension that enters in as well and it's not like we choose one or the other we want to operate in both the natural wisdom processes as well as the supernatural as well and you look at the Old Testament story and there are many examples of poor Jewish youth youth Joseph I mean he's a teenager Taken into slavery a little Jewish teenager taken into slavery to Egypt becomes the second most wealthy man in the earth That wasn't because he just used his money wisely in prison. There was a supernatural dimension King David was a poor young teenager Tending sheep which would be about like mowing lawns and I mean it was a it was a it was a job that the teenagers were involved with and He had no access to finance He became the wealthiest man in his nation and his generation by the supernatural blessing of God take Esther young Jewish orphan girl living in Persia Far away from her homeland of Israel. She becomes one of the wealthiest people in the whole world So God has this way of not just in the extreme Examples I gave but he has a desire and a way to give wealth where you think there's no chance to get it some of you are one divine idea away from wealth and You may not have and that you may not have any sense of what that idea is Joseph was one idea away from it. He had a dream and that dream was the divine idea and With a little blood sweat and tears and a few prison sentences that dream turned into great wealth So it's a one idea plus a little extra But you don't look at yourself and your education and your history and say it can't be me Because I just gave you examples of Old Testament these three young people had no chance to get wealth based on their family background Their education or even their place in society But God supernaturally broke in in the midst of them and gave it to him now It's particularly important right now that we have the biblical mentality of finances because as our own nation is being Challenged in the realm of finances and shaken and the nations of the world are being shaken and that shaking is going to increase But even in the hour of shaking we believe for supernatural intervention of finances. We are in the covenant with God But he wants us to use the money not just to get bigger houses and bigger cars But he actually again, he's not against that in the strict sense But it's a paradigm that we when we see money we see souls When we see money we see funding the work of the kingdom That's the covenant paradigm that he associates this promise to give great wealth to the paragraph see God desires that we would prosper financially look at this third John John prayed I pray that you prosper in all things that you be in health That's a New Testament prayer But you would prosper in all things To the proportion that your heart is prospering because if we prosper in Economics more than we prosper in our spiritual relationship with God. We become very vulnerable in Our spiritual life when and that I've seen that happen many times where the Lord blessed people and their money grew faster than their heart did and then they became Snared with covetousness and fear related to their money and it actually set them back The Lord gave it to them to encourage them to press into him But many people they don't they get focused on their money they don't stay up to date in their relationship with God and And it causes troubles it makes them vulnerable and their spiritual life. So John says My prayer is that you would prosper. It is a New Testament prayer in all things. That's Relationally, that's economically in your body physically. He says but I I pray that it goes in Sync with your heart prospering your walk with God increasing as well Now again, we refuse the spirit of poverty we say no, that's not biblical But we also say this that the spirit of overindulgence is not biblical either in the fine in the financial realm God the Father right now He's looking across the whole earth looking for men and women young and old who will partner with him who will be vessels of supply Doesn't matter what your education is. I mean education is good. I'm not putting education down Don't limit God to what your education is or what your opportunities are. He's looking for people He says if you will be in unity with me, I want to give great wealth through people I want them to be vessels of supply in a time of economic shaking on the globe Which is going to increase but the wealth is going to increase in the kingdom at the same time that the economic shaking increases paragraph D Now to get a right view of prosperity and we're gonna get to what Jesus said in just a moment here We're gonna look at just a little of what he said in Matthew chapter 6 But to have a right view of prosperity we have to know The glory the I mean the potential glory and the potential danger that is associated with prosperity paragraph D Money can be compared. I'm talking about abundant money can be compared to a sharp knife When it's in the hand of a skilled chef a sharp knife brings blessing That same knife is in the hands of a child. It could be very very dangerous And so it's like swimming in shark infested waters Meaning we can avoid disaster. We can avoid the trouble. We're alert. We're paying attention But if we're not paying attention The thing that Jesus emphasized the most about money was to beware of covetousness He talked about a few things, but he said covetousness the spiritual danger of that is your biggest problem Now he knew we had find our way over to the promises of prosperity and he himself Underlines that God will multiply us financially But the thing he said the most is as you're employing these biblical promises These biblical principles beware of covetousness Beware of the spiritual danger that goes with it. You don't have to yield to it, but you must be aware. It's there That's what Jesus said the most about economics, which is strange Because we would think he would talk about the wise biblical principles that he endorses and he upholds Now covetousness is what the church talks about the least when it comes to money. I'm talking about Throughout church history. I mean, I've hardly ever heard a subject a sermon on Covetousness, it just almost never comes up. We talk about How to see the multiplication not the danger that is associated with it And I've rarely ever met a person that thinks that is a potential problem to them They almost everybody I know can see how covetousness is a problem to the guy over there But almost no one thinks it's a personal problem to them So we emphasize it the least and that's the thing Jesus emphasized the most he's saying watch out It's more powerful than you think let's look at paragraph e Now let's go down to a paragraph F now Jesus as Everything he puts it all the commands in context to loving him God created us to love him and Jesus outlined four spheres of life in which we are to love God With all of our heart, that's our affection all of our soul our personality and our identity our mind and our strength Now loving God with our strength Specifically means with our time and with our with our resources. I mean, which is our time and money Our resources are more than time and money But those are our two main resources our time and our money our words are part of a resource our reputation our status Physical energy is part of our resource. Those are part of our resources as well But the two primary ones of our resource to love God with our strength this time and money So what Jesus is saying here in paragraph G? He wants us to use our money in a way that expresses love to him Now when Jesus talked on money It was really it was a relational subject to him Meaning money wasn't just about resource When he talked about money particularly in Matthew 6 where he talks about it more than any other place Where he gives more biblical principles in Matthew 6 on money than any other chapter To him it's relational. It's about him and us and how we relate to one another it's not just a technical Talk about I mean a technical subject of financial principles. It's relational He goes this is about my heart in your heart This is about you loving me and me loving you and the interaction between us So as we approach the biblical view of money, we need to have the paradigm the relational paradigm When I give money away, though, I love the Lord returning it back and I love helping people I love the interaction with God that the idea that God sees and it moves him And he responds to me because it moves him beloved. That's the part. That's the most exciting I mean, I love the money of the self and the Lord multiplies it and increases my resource. I say, thank you God I I honor you for that but the fact that the little things I do move you and that you Respond and intervene in human history in my little world like wow. This is remarkable Now as we I call that power encounters and finances, that's the that's the phrase I've used for many years and when I have those Times where I encounter his pro his power Exhilarates my heart. I mean, it's a it's a it's a mark. It's a quite remarkable thing Now I have here in paragraph G in the middle that there are emotional dynamics That are involved related to giving money before God, I mean we have the money in our hand and When we give it we lose control of that money because we give it away. It's no longer ours You have the hundred dollars Hypothetically you give it away that hundred dollars. You can't use it. And so the idea is okay God I give it away You said you're gonna return it back in your own time in your own way, but you're gonna return it back And I'm giving you the money I love the people I'm sowing into but I love you and It's personal to you that I give it and because it means something to you that I give it. I'm gonna give it I mean if it means something to you I'm gonna do it and it means something to the person you help, of course that that matters So I have the money in my hand and the question to give or not to give that is the question so I need that money and I could use it But you want me to give? But I lose control and you might not give it back real fast. I hope you do But you but you see it as me loving you and you promise to return it. I Think I want to do it. So we give it and it returns it back. We go. Oh god, it's awesome Next time we give it it doesn't come back in the way. We thought we go God. Are you listening? Are you paying attention? And anyway many emotional dynamics in the process the time delay Dynamic is are you there and God says are you gonna continue to be faithful when the time delay is in? Is in place or when that's happening? Are you doing it? Why are you doing it? And I mean, I want to help people and I want the financial increase but more than anything I love the interaction with God. That's the part that excites me even more than the helping being helpful, which is awesome and Seeing the increase come which is a great blessing as well now paragraph H Jesus made it clear that it's the size of the sacrifice not the amount of the money Meaning the widow gave two pennies two mites And he said this widow gave more than you rich guys Because you rich guys gave out of your abundance. You didn't even miss it This lady gave out of her need. I mean she got those two pennies was a huge percent of her total economic power So it's the percentage That moves God me, but here's what I'm trying to say I'm not trying to say that somebody with a great amount of money. It doesn't matter if the percentage is small They're giving that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that somebody with two pennies. It still matters. That's the point That's the point that Jesus was making okay, let's go to top of page two just that we're gonna make a few points on page two and Then I'm gonna tell some stories and then we're gonna respond to the Lord So Jesus gives a number of points in Matthew 6, which I have in the notes laid out in different places you could read it later But the first point he makes in Matthew 6 about money. It's the fact that the father Openly rewards it now. Those are three powerful words the father Himself actually is what Jesus said openly rewards That's a very powerful reality now in Matthew 6 verse 4 He says your charitable deeds When you do them before God he sees and he responds Openly he he openly Breaks in and gives a blessing that other people can see and notice So your giving is in secret But the reward is before the very people that they were tempted to make a big show in front of Jesus said I'm openly going to bless you the father is rather Openly gonna bless you in the sight of those men that you were being tempted to show off in front of the blessings going to Be that obvious and the blessing is in this age not in the age to come Because later in verse 20 he talks about blessing in the age to come as well He talks about both of them and both of them are important subjects He says when you give charitable deeds now the charitable deeds in that's the new King James Terminology has a time and an economic dimension to it Some deeds involve time and money Some deeds involve just time to service itself other deeds involve just the money It's just a charitable act that that that you're involved in your it's the giving of the money the sowing of money And different translations use different terms, but they employ both aspects of time and money The idea is that is your strength your time and money you love God with your strength By investing your strength in what matters to God because you love God Like we give it away. We lose control of it. We give that time away by serving We give that money away by giving we lose control of that time. We lose control that money We invest it in that which God's heart cares about because we love God. I mean we love the people as well We love the blessing, but we love the his heart we go. We're doing it because we love you God the Lord says I See that now the fact that God sees and responds. That's where the power encounter is right there he sees and responds and He blesses us openly and again. This is a blessing. That's before the very people in verses 1 to 4 They were tempted to do a big display of giving in front of those people the Lord says don't do it in front of them But when I bless you it will be in front of them its blessing in this age is the point I'm trying to make Now it's important to know that Jesus calls this a reward the father himself rewards you now some Christians not very many but some they don't like the idea of doing something for a reward They think no, I don't want a reward. I'm doing it just for God I want to do it without any regard for the reward and that sounds real humble The problem is it's more humble than Jesus was Jesus said reward Well, Jesus, I appreciate your teaching, but I'm really at a different place than you could understand I I don't want the father's reward I want the father to forget about me and Jesus would say he will never forget about you never He loves you he wants interaction with you and besides that When God rewards us, it's God showing how he feels about the way we loved him We're not earning the reward. The father is openly showing how he feels about the way you loved him because you gave the money because you loved him and God's real rich. So he's going you know what? I don't need the money. I can afford it Take it. I want you to enjoy me enjoying you. I am a father It is no problem. No, I don't want the reward Only for you and he goes well, I'm a father and I love my children enjoying me enjoying them So I want you and I'll increase your ability to give it again So if you got that religious humility just push the lead on it and move on always go with Jesus paragraph B now, let's go down to paragraph C financial power encounters Now I've already described it what I mean by a financial power encounter is when I give a certain amount at a certain time And when God answers back it Corresponds with the amount and the timing corresponds it matters And what I conclude is God is watching me Beloved there's nothing more dynamic in all of human life all of life on the earth than to know that God is watching and Responds with enthusiasm towards you that is the most exhilarating thing there is I mean nothing Surpasses the Genesis 1 God is not only watching but he has Enthusiasm towards what you're doing and he responds that's what makes life powerful and one of the major ways that he That that he demonstrates his enthusiasm and that he's watching is in the realm of money. I mean we worship Now we don't see nothing and sometimes we fill his presence. Sometimes we don't but we don't see anything We pray and sometimes we see the immediate result that's exciting Would you give money and he answers it in an open way that is one of the major ways? He has designed to exhilarate our spirit About the glory of the interaction between our heart and his heart now the reason I say that Many believers because of fear some because of covetousness those are the two big issues He addresses the negative responses Fear what she talks about later on in Matthew 6 the last half of Matthew 6 or covetousness. Those are the two Giants That keep us from interacting in this dynamic walk with God of giving and receiving and giving and receiving from God Giving back and God multiplying it. It's covetousness and fear. Those are the two things Jesus identifies and Many believers because of fear more than covetousness They don't give and they they think I won't have enough for tomorrow and the Lord saying oh you're missing the dynamic You're missing that dynamic of me and you doing this together and you're not developing a history with me in this Now over the 40 years. I've walked with the Lord. I've never counted up the numbers So I this is just kind of a guesstimation I'm guessing about 50s times if I really pressed that I maybe a few more Where I gave money and God answered it in a way that was clearly had a supernatural touch Maybe 50 times. I don't know if that's the actual number in about 40 years My point is those interactions are not only dear to me They've changed the way that I process life Because if God's watching me with money and interacting with enthusiasm He's watching me with my service. He's watching me bless my enemies He's watching what I do in every area. It changes the way you walk in life I mean in the positive sense it puts in a dimension of excitement in your life Many believers don't have any stories like this and my point isn't to say bah humbug Aren't you bad? My point is to say, you know, you can get them God desires for you to have these stories in your relationship with him and When you get a history in God where he actually intervenes with the financial pressures of the future I don't mean just in this generation any generation, but this one particularly you will approach financial pressures in the future with a Very different way if you have a history of God answering and interacting with you financially When I face financial pressures, which I face them all these 40 years many times I have a lot less Temptation to fear because of my growing history. I still have fear sometimes Fear isn't totally gone But the fear level is so much lower than it would be if I did not have these stories in my history with God Well Jesus he develops this idea of the father rewarding you in Luke chapter 6. Look at this Luke 6 38 He starts off. He says give now. He's talking about more than money, but money is the main thing he's talking about Matthew I mean Luke 6 38. He says if you give The father will respond to you. He will give back again His timing is different than ours Sometimes not always and the way he gives back isn't always exactly the way that we're imagining But we are better off economically Yeah, we have our buying power has been increased Although he has all these creative ways to do it So Jesus said he goes I want to invite you into that dynamic relationship with the father you give Maybe even in your needs You don't have a surplus or you do have a surplus either way and the father will see and he will openly Respond he will answer in a way that is measurable. That's what the open means. Others will even see it Not that that's the point. But the point is it's not a mystical blessing. It's a measurable Practical natural blessing. That's the point of it being open Then Jesus goes on to say and we catch his Enthusiasm and we catch a little bit of his heart here. He goes he'll give to you stop at the father This is him Jesus developing the idea. The father will openly reward you Look at the enthusiasm He will give with good measure. He gives four phrases press down Shaken together running over. It's this idea of a container and you're stuffing stuff in the container But you want more in the container so you press it you get on the thing you jump it down because you want to Get more in there, then you shake it to make it settle, but it keeps overflowing is the idea Sounds like my wife's suitcase when we travel together. I mean we jump on that thing We press it we kick it and then we break down and she gives it to me and says would you put that in your suitcase? It's something that which is an agreement we have and it's one of our jokes. We joke about it all the time So she doesn't mind me telling you that But it's running over. Jesus says can you see the father's enthusiasm? Jesus is smiling. I have no doubt He goes it will be given back to you now. It's given Mostly through the hands of other people or other situations, but the father is orchestrating it and making sure it happens I mean look at the enthusiasm Good measure. I mean more than the container can hold pressed Shaken still running over Jesus said oh man if you knew the way my father feels about responding to this Then he goes on and he says the balls in your hands Because with whatever measure you use You get to determine some of how this happens Whatever measure you use that's how God will respond back to you Now you don't have the hundred percent determination of it, but what you do matters You get to determine if the stories Multiply and continue or you don't have any But notice it's the measure you use It's not the measure that you want to use but you never use it's the actual The use you actually give the money Not thinking about giving it one day when you get rich, but you actually give it The father says to that measure. I will respond back to you you get to determine Not all of how that works, but you determine you have a significant role in determining this There's a cause-effect dynamic and We are supposed to understand the cause-effect dynamic Dynamic meaning we're supposed to see we gave we got back Wow We're supposed to see that some guys say well, we gave I don't know by the grace of God Well, it is the grace of God. He wants you to go Wow He wants to wow you that's the point. He wants you to connect the dots Paragraph II someone says well, I don't want to give to get I want to give for love love is not minimized Because we give in the way Jesus described Matter of fact love is magnified. You will experience the love of God. God's love will be expressed towards you You will have more resource to love more people with then God's Enjoyment of that will spill over you will enjoy God enjoying you you get more resource. It's all about a love cycle It's all about love now paragraph F Then after this I'll go into some just a few stories The famous verse of the Old Testament we all know about but the reason it's so unusual Not because it promises supernatural financing it does it's one of the many places that promises supernatural financing in the Old Testament But because it's the only place here in Malachi chapter 3 verse 10 and 11 It's the only place in the Bible where we are actually commanded to test God commanded to More than invited. He says I want you to test me put me to the test And the reason God commands it he says I because he wants us to be experienced the interaction with him He says test me. I have a lot of money not a problem I really like you not a problem. My eyes are always on you. Not a problem Test me and I will show you in practical ways that I am interacting with you And how dear you are the things that you do how dear it is to me the way that you're seeking to love me in The read of money now again, we love him in the other arenas as well but something about money when it gets answered in a practical open way, it is a Practical visible display of the interaction between our heart and God God wants us to have that I can't imagine These last 40 years not having these 50-some stories if they were not a part of my thinking Process when I relate to God it would change everything in a negative way if I did not have those stories It's again. It changes the way I think about my problems Changes the way I think about future economic pressures or present ones because I have this history I wish it was a longer history. I wish I had more stories But the history really affects the way I talk to God even when it's non related to economics First ten. This is bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse. So there may be food Test me try me. It's the same word Try me now Somebody say now to your neighbor now, there you go. You did always wanted to do that. Okay, I See guys on TV do that. I was going to try it. Okay. I mean look at the word now, you know what now means You got it See if I won't open this is Supernaturally open the windows of heaven the fact the windows of heaven means there's a supernatural dimension This is more than the blessing on natural processes this is above and beyond I Will pour out such blessing There will be no room. This is Possibly what Jesus was thinking about and the verse we looked at in Luke 6 38 says press down Shaken together running over he might have actually been thinking about this very passage because this passage is in that same different vein There will not be room to receive it all and it goes on in verse 11 Look at this the Lord speak it I will rebuke the devour the one the spiritual forces is what he's talking about that are Devouring your finances there are spiritual forces often Behind the natural forces that are devouring your economics Then it doesn't always work just that way but the Lord says I Myself will rebuke the devourer and I have a lot of authority and when I rebuke that devourer of your finances I promise you the devouring will stop Again, there's spiritual forces behind natural forces and the both together are in God's mind. I believe when he says this Okay. Now the subject of the tithe What is the tithe the tithe is the 10%? Here's what the Lord is saying You take 10% of your income You give it you lose control, but you give it to the work of the kingdom You give it to the Lord when you give it to his work He takes it as you giving it to him and he takes it personally Now you're left with nine tenths, but here's here's the promise nine tenths With the blessing of God will have more buying power than ten tenths without the blessing of God That's what he's saying. You give one tenth away You're left with nine tenths when I bless nine tenths You will have more buying power than if you kept it and didn't give any of it. I will I promise you this Now in 40 years, I've watched that happen so many times So I've been asked the question over the years. Do you tithe on the gross or the net? I go easy they go, which is it the whichever one you want to be blessed on You want to be blessed on the gross income tithe on it You want to be blessed on the net income tithe on the net? Now tithing the giving of the 10% is a New Testament principle. Some people say it's not They say we give us the Holy Spirit leads But as 10 years go by they always give less than the tithe and so the Holy Spirit somehow is you know Whatever whatever you can figure that one out Tithing is the the place the new beginners the new believers start and The Lord presses us to do this because he presses us into this place of interaction with him You say I want the interaction. That's what I want. I don't need your money. Trust me The Lord would say I want the interaction and if you don't have this interaction with me It will affect your whole spiritual life in many other areas. You need this interaction. I command you to do it And I tell you he will answer So it's Christianity 101. It's the beginning point You don't want to tithe and in there. You just want to begin there Back in our early days when we were first married 35 years ago We decided we were going to start double tithing and we would never go under double tithing by the grace of God And by the grace of God, we never have We said we'll start at 20% newly married and We're going to reduce our lifestyle before we reduce our percentage of giving and so we made this promise to the Lord We will we will get a smaller house a smaller guy. We will go without Before we lessen this we are going to increase that number and God has helped us to do that over the years We want that number going up all the time not because we're so generous Because I love the interaction the interaction is so exciting. I mean I like helping people but the interaction I am sold on it I'm absolutely so I loved the testimony that Diane gave in the early service She came up and she said we became addicted to it. I love that. I go. Wow. I never used that I've never thought of that phrase. She's got exciting seeing it come back to us. It just became so so so fun Okay paragraph G Now why does the Lord command us to tithe because he wants us into that dynamic Here's what happens when we tithe We are declaring every time you give a tithe you're declaring Jesus is the Lord over your money Every time you get the 1010 so you take one tip you saw it. You're saying he's Lord over all of my money I'm declaring it. It's a prophetic act in essence, but you're making another statement You're declaring it. He is the source of my money. I know I have a good job or not so good a job, whatever He is my source He is my real source in giving me the job giving me the ability to to function in the job He is my source not my job. Not my talents not my education You are my source my primary source you're making that statement every single time you give finance Now I'm gonna just give a few stories we'll end with this We give just a handful of them starts off. I'm gonna give stories of my early days Because most people that are young that are new at this they can relate to the early days there were the amounts were really small, but it was really exciting and People can relate to the smaller amount. So I'm gonna just focus on smaller amount stories Because that that encouraged you those of you that God has touched in the larger amounts I've had some of those you already know how it works. So I'm not gonna give you any stories But I read these biographies some 16 17 18 I'm reading these biographies of men and women of God who God did these supernatural things in their money And I would talk to the junior high group and you know I had about 10 or 20 in my junior high home group and and I tell them these stories and then one day I said wait I want stories. I don't want to just tell stories about dead people. I want stories So I thought I was gonna rev up and start getting some So I'm a little scared Because all I got is stories and I knew a few Bible verses not very many So I'm 18 years old. We've led a lot of people to the Lord But none of them had Bibles So I we got our team together or that we are leading a bunch of folks to the Lord and I said this I'm going to get Bibles. I'll take responsibility. So what I did is I went out and and ordered I think four or five hundred Bibles Some hundreds I can't remember the exact number But I went ordered him and I said they'll be here on this Saturday a few weeks from now and I'll pick them up and I Will give the Bibles to all the new believers tell them to hang on in there for a few weeks. That was great So I went and ordered them and the Bible company said, okay the little paperback New Testament Three hundred and one dollars and twenty four cents. That's a significant number. I'll tell you in a minute 301 dollars Okay, that's big because I only make thirty dollars a week. This is ten times my income so That this and I've never done it before But the way the books tell you these biographies you can't tell nobody So even the folks I was close to in this junior high ministry working with I didn't tell them I didn't have the money. I just told them I was getting Bibles. I Didn't have the money. I didn't tell nobody and it was my first time So it's the morning a few weeks later that Saturday morning. I have to pick them up at noon 301 dollars 24 cents. I don't have a dime. I got my $30 a week. That's it I think oh, well, I'm old for one. I struck out my first time. Maybe my next try it will work And I am really nervous Then an hour before I pick up the Bibles a man comes over to my house. I won't give the details He doesn't know anything about what I owe He hands me a check Now I owe three hundred and one dollars and twenty four cents. He hands me a check here 301 and 25 cents one penny more. He's an unbeliever. He knows nothing about what I owe nobody knows What's this is well, that's just what the number is I Mean 300 I owe 301 24. I get a check 301 25. What's the chances? What's the last time somebody gave you a check for 301 dollars and 25 cents? I'm in this random number But not only a random number one hour before the deadline and Again, nobody knows this besides me. I look up to heaven. I Chris. I've just blown away And the Lord is in essence saying I know the exact amount and the exact time I'm watching everything you're doing and I'm with you that Excited me so much. I told the story to everyone. I mean for six months. Hi Mike. How you doing? 301 dollars I told nobody we don't want to hear the story again. Okay, we've heard it three four times We love you. I go. Can you believe God knows me? God knows me. I told the Lord I go God I said I just want to let you know the Implications of this are massive that if your people can know that you know them like this this could change everything and Lord says Thanks Mike. I appreciate that information Obviously, I he didn't say anything but I was thinking wow, what if everybody could have a story like this? so a few months go by and now it's the time for the December ski trip at the Christmas break and so I got my old junior high group. I would take him on a ski retreat Well, I lead two girls to the Lord. They come from families. They can't afford it So I'm so bolstered by this three hundred and one dollar miracle because if it would have been $400 I would have taken it and if it would have come a week earlier I would have taken it but the fact it came the exact amount the exact hour There could be no mistake. It was an interaction from heaven. And so I'm so bolstered by that these two girls We can't go on the ski trip. We have no money. So I go I'll pay your way Now they think I have the money Again I can't tell nobody now. I owe five hundred dollars two girls 250 apiece 500 is almost twice as much as three hundred and one. I still make thirty dollars a week. I Go, where am I gonna come up with five hundred dollars because I can't tell nobody that was what those books said I think you can tell people but those books said you couldn't so I believe the books. I Thinking about the fact that I'm I don't have the money They don't even know the day of the ski trip December Christmas break. I Have no money So I'm figuring out how I'm going to wash dishes at the ski resort if they let these two girls in please I don't know how it's gonna work so first time ever I Get a check in the mail. This has never happened to me I've heard stories of it, but never for me to my vehicle Lord told me to give you this $250 the day of it I Go Lord, this is amazing. So they everybody the seven junior high kids come to our house We load up in the van at nine o'clock that night. I got 250. I think Wow But still 250 away and again, that's a lot of money in my little world. I'm 18 years old Can I make $30 a month? I mean $3 a week So, I don't know how I get the 250 we're packed up in the van and I'm just gonna like I Don't know what I'm gonna do when I get there a Man comes by our house a family friend who we have not seen for years an unbelieving man Comes by 9 o'clock at night goes. What's that? I go well We're taking some junior high kids to uh, you know on a on a ski trip I'd seen him for years boy. You sure grew up Mike and how you boy you're 18 now Wow, you know He goes looks like fun I go yeah, we have a ball he handed me $250 right there. I Mean the girls are in the van. We're leaving in five minutes. I Am so overwhelmed. I came and drive almost I mean, it's so mind-boggling Again, if God would have given me a thousand I would have taken it and given it to me a month earlier I would have been rejoicing. It would have been a miracle but exactly that day Two five two hundred fifty dollar installments came from two different people who do nothing on the day And I pay it exactly and five minutes till we leave it. It's my hand. I go God. This is so Amazing. I just can't even hardly imagine this Well some years pass and now I'm pastoring in Kansas City. This is about 25 years ago The lady calls me on the phone that's a new church here in town It's a 83 84 right those there's some maybe, you know, almost 30 30 years ago nearly and so this lady says, uh, I Need five hundred and fifty dollars. It was an emergency. I won't go to the details says it Okay, she goes. I don't have a chance. I don't have any money. I have a chance and I just said I'll pay it Because I now have about 10 or 20 stories I don't know how many but I have a number of them that by now and So I believe in this I go I'll pay you and you don't meet every person's need when they come your way you you wanna You know, I just felt a little inspiration now. I did something really bad. Don't ever do this. I Put it on MasterCard because I had no money in our bank account and no money All of our bills were paid exactly We would be broke at the end of the month and almost every month for years We had $20 at the end of the month almost never more than 20 30 40 dollars I don't recommend living that way, but I know a number of you do it I did that for years the Bible does teach saving that is biblical But I just kept giving money away and we just always had it down to zero. So I go 550 Lady goes. Oh, thank you. I put on my MasterCard don't ever do that. But again God overlooked my bad wisdom In that so now I go to our midweek church service. I got 550 dollars Put on the MasterCard the ladies bailed out and so I got how am I gonna pay this? Because I'm not one of those at the end of the month. Let it keep getting higher I I don't want money on MasterCard in the month. I don't like that. And so I go, huh? I need to pay this so I go to the church service So I'm worshiping our midweek service on a Tuesday night. I'm worshiping Guy taps me on the shoulder in the middle of the worship service. I Go, yeah, he goes. This is so weird. I know it's so random. God told me to give you $550 and It's rolled up in $20 bills. Most all the toy numbers in it with a rubber band. He says here it is 550 He goes, I know it's random, but he told tonight to give it to you. I went unbelievable And it were worse back. Thank you. That means more than you know, I go. Yes Yes, I don't have to tell my wife. I put it on the MasterCard, you know, that's that's yes. Yes and Yes, then ten minutes later the worship still going and a guy up front says we're gonna have ministry time So I come up pray for this cousin a whole bunch of people there. I pray for this couple. She's crying. What's wrong? Oh, we can we have a financial crisis. It's horrible. God's not with us. I go. What is it? They go we need five hundred and fifty dollars. I She goes it's rolled up she goes do you always care carry $550 rolled up I go sometimes So she goes So I'm back at the worship service. I go. Well, I had it I lost it. I had it, you know I still owe $550 on my MasterCard. I got to tell my wife because we don't that's bad to do that So I'm walking out that night and I thought that was kind of fun to get it to give it back and the needs were Exact that was totally fun So I'm walking out the door and a man last guy We're turning the lights off and we're standing there at the door together. The room's empty the sanctuary. He goes boy I can't believe you're still here. He goes. I sold a car today a little beat-up car. The Lord told me to give you the money And how much he goes not much. It's five hundred and fifty dollars. I went so I came home Handed my wife the money for the MasterCard praise God Let the reader understand But it was the fact that number and the time was exact God was saying I'm watching every movement of your heart and you're moving my heart as you Seek to love me in this way beloved. That's worth everything those interactions. I'm gonna give you one or two more stories So I'm gonna flow. I know it's late, but I'm gonna tell you one or two more. So a Year or two goes by whatever I Don't know some time goes by it this new couple this young couple Come to our Sunday morning services two Sundays and they were in a neighborhood So they knocked on the door of our church in the office and they kind of go. Hello. Our name is so-and-so We've been there two Sundays. We just want to say hi to you. He's got five minutes Bless you. Bless you. Bless you and I go good to meet you. So the wife says could you pray for my husband because we He's had nightmares and the husband goes, oh great, you know, I didn't meet the new pastor. I got nightmares great and I go No, no, we do nightmares here. Don't worry so I pray for him and A demon starts coming out of him. Not everybody with nightmares as a demon, but he starts manifesting a demon He's like coughing and choking And the lady goes what are you doing to my husband? I said, don't worry I'll give him back to you better than you brought him. It's gonna be better for you The demon comes out of this man and She's blown away because they came from a church that didn't do that and they were just testing out the waters And he says man, I feel so much different. Yes. What was that? I go. Well, we'll explain it all later Cuz we're he was running late and I had something going on as I get with you and he says oh before I go He said I want to give you a check now. What had happened. Is that so important? Is that earlier that day the part I hadn't said yet earlier that day at 11 o'clock in the morning because this is about middle afternoon a Lady called me on the phone and she says I need 200 I mean $2,000. I have a crisis and it was a real crisis I need it by 5 o'clock today, and I said do you tie I asked everybody this rate of finances? They go. No, I can't afford to tie and I said no she and I said no exactly wrong I'm she says I can't afford to tithe. I said exactly opposite. You can't afford not to tithe I go you need God interacting with your finances She was well, I don't know and I told her about five or ten stories and she went wow I gave her Bible verses she goes. Okay, I'll do it I said on that basis that you're committing to do this because I want her in this interaction mode That's why God commanded tithing for the interaction mode not because God needs the money And so she said yes, so it's 11 o'clock in the morning. We'll hang up now It's a couple hours later this couple walks in the demon comes out. The guy's happy. He said Hey, you know, we haven't been a part of a church family for a while I haven't given money and I want to give money. Here's $2,000 the same amount I committed to that lady five hours earlier And he said here I write the check. I'm gonna leave the check blank You don't have to give it to the church Give it to anybody you want. I don't need a tax or write-off for this. So I called the lady up I have a $2,000 check waiting to write her name in it. I Talked to her five hours earlier I said if you will commit to tithe, I will commit to give that money to you I will believe God with you is what I mean I will go on the line and if God doesn't supply it, I will give it to you But I need to know for real you're gonna change the way you relate to God in your finances, so I call her back now it's You know four o'clock in the afternoon. It's five hours later. I just had the check in my hand. I go. Hey How you feel she was pretty bad. I still need $2,000. I got one hour I go are you committed to obey the Lord in this arena? Because yes, I really am I mean it I said in that case come over. I have a check waiting for you right now So I gave her the $2,000 check she couldn't believe it, but I I mean I was touched I go God This is the same day the same amount. It wasn't five thousand. It wasn't the day later It was that day now every story doesn't work this way Sometimes I give somebody $500 and nothing happens. You just have to know there is that I got a bunch of those stories nothing happened But in a Month and year and the overall impact of financial blessing it does happen though Nothing happened in that direct time and I have many stories like that where nothing happened, but later God touched my finances Because God doesn't want an equation Where you give 500 you get 500 he said he wants a relationship And in the relationship many times the numbers will add up in many times They won't you never know because he wants relationship He doesn't want to be just a our banker our math equation where it just like a computer program so to speak So I called it this a few months pass or whatever this other lady calls me on the phone And she goes single mom and she goes I have a broken-down car and it broke and I make $180 a week I can't I can't afford a car. I can't go to work tomorrow. I can't pay my rent I am in a jam. I said do you tie same thing? I ask everybody When they're in a problem, she goes no, I can't afford to tie. They said you can't afford not to She was not well. I said no you need God involved He said he would do it test him and I gave her five or ten stories because wow it's on a Tuesday. I Said here's what I'm gonna do I'm gonna commit to you to get it get a car for you But only on the basis that you will tie I know God will do something she goes yes But I don't want to just keep giving you handouts. I want you interacting with God yourself So that's in the afternoon I go to church that night to our midweek service again Tuesday night The end of the service the lady comes up to me. She goes strangest thing God told me to give you my car. I said that is not so strange She goes not only am I giving you my car? I have the license and the notarized signing and it's yours put the name in the title that you want I mean it happens right there It's only a few hours after that conversation It was just like you know earlier that two thousand dollars that came five hours later It's the same day the same amount this time. It's a car so I call the lady I get home about 10 o'clock at night I go hey Are you still committed to tithing she goes? Yes? I am I would God involved. I want to do it his way I said come over and get your car. I have a car. She goes. What do you mean? I have a car and the title with your name in it right now. She's that's impossible. Well. It wasn't Okay last story This goes way back 35 years ago. I just I'll make this short just made my wife She where she's 21. We're both 21 So she were engaged we're gonna get married in a week or two You know and she says I have something to tell you some big news. Okay. What is it? She goes from age 15 to 21 six years I have been saving everything for my My wedding and when we get married I have five thousand dollars just from tips as a waitress for six years $5,000 this is 35 years ago when that was worth like a million And I said I Said the worst thing possible That a young man can say so don't put money on your MasterCard for somebody and don't say this to your fiance I Looked at her. She goes. She was so filled or bright eyes were just so alive I have $5,000 and I because I have 10 you know 10 or 15 or whatever of these stories and I said huh, I Go why she goes why what I go? Why do you have $5,000? Well saving it for my wedding And she's only six months in the Lord. I'm six years old the Lord. I said let me tell you some stories I told her about ten stories I Go if we give this money away It will rebound a lot bigger from heaven. You know not really rebound, but you know come back to it She went I've never heard of this. I showed her Bible verses show the stories I said I'm I give my money away all the time again the Bible is Built is for saving that's a biblical principle, but back then I didn't care about that every time I got anything I gave it away, and so that's exaggerated by the way and so Still some young person really do that, but I mean I did it in an excessive way back in those early days and So I said $5,000 I go I want to give this to the kingdom she went Okay, I got I won't if you don't say yes, and she went. I just thought you would be so excited I go yeah, but wait till this thing rebounds. She goes. Okay. I'll do it under one condition You can't tell my dad. He will be very mad at you Like okay, I'll tell your dad when God gives the answer. How's that? She's a lot works. That's fine So we give the five thousand away to missions, so we're broke. We have no money now Our income I'm a youth pastor of a church of a and we make a $1,000 a month income and we double tithe and gave $5,000 away, so we have almost nothing to live on and I was thinking God would give the money back in a month. He didn't He there was a delay time and the delay is important so now over the next year the exact opposite happens of what I told her in the next 12 months or whatever Eight different friends that we were helping we helped eight different friends you think I would have learned all eight of them stole money from us in various ways and The we added the money up of the eight and they were all people we were helping it added up to five thousand dollars the same number Like one for instance one guy stayed in our house and because he got kicked out of his or he lost his home or something whatever He worked at a company put $400 worth of phone bills I mean I ran up the phone bill $400 brought the receipts to his company got reimbursed But he left and I had to pay the $400 One guy moved in our house when we went to church on Sunday. He stole our couches when we were at church Came home Diane goes, where's the couches I go, uh, I'm not sure another guy stole this and anyway Eight different things happened Almost every month they would not exactly but over the course of nearly a year. So Diane's troubled She goes on this her first time and it's her life savings. I mean tips for six years saved them all or nearly You know, that's pretty intense So I said, you know what? I don't have an answer. None of the books I read had this ever happened. This is This is going bad. She goes we gave five thousand We're double tithing and we have barely enough to live and We get no money return we get five thousand stolen because of your stories we're doing this I go I got Bible verses too But she's a new believer. She goes it's not working. I go it really is it? I don't know. I I don't know I don't know how to do this. I don't know what this means Don't tell your dad yet A Man knocks on my door He knocked on door. He over there. He goes. Hello. He goes. I'd like to buy your house Excuse me. I go because I would like to buy your house He gave me $55,000 more than we bought the house one year earlier and he gives us the money He had the money so he didn't even have to go get a loan Gave us the money Fifty five thousand we bought it for what amount a year later. It was remarkable I didn't know what happened is our is is that piece of property that area the zoning got changed to commercial? I didn't even know it like a month earlier So knocks on the door. So the Lord whispers in my heart the 5,000 is to pay back the people who stole you stole from you because you were trying to love them into my kingdom and serve The 50,000 is for the $5,000 for the 5,000 you guys sewed into missions and So it was so exciting. I mean I got that $55,000 because he had the money he had cash he had cash so I Come in Woman of God, here's the money that I was telling you about No, I didn't do any of that It's funny now. I knew it. I was so overwhelmed Because the timing I mean we just had that conversation and we were both in anguish and the Lord was saying I'm just Delaying it to see if you will stay faithful because you love me and believe me I'm seeing everything you're going through Amen, and amen