God’s Plan To Prosper You In The End Times
Sunday, 26 August 2018
These are notes on the sermon, God’s Plan To Prosper You In The End Times, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 26 August 2018, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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In a world where we’re constantly bombarded by discouraging reports of lack and crises, God has a plan to provide for us and our families—through the divine principle of the tithe.
We hope these notes will help you understand:
In this sermon, Pastor Prince reveals how tithing is God’s secret for His people in the end times. As we tithe out of a revelation of God’s heart of love toward us and not out of obligation, we’ll begin to experience lasting stability and hope even as the world gets darker!
Pastor Prince talks about how he loves the church and how it’s his responsibility to deliver sermons that are a rhema word (word in season) from God.
Pastor’s word for preachers: Preach sermons that are...
Today’s message is a prophetic message for our time (the end times, a time of moral darkness).
God is concerned with His people prospering in every area of life.
Pastor Prince shares how he struggled with this message after receiving it from the Lord because he knows the word “prosper” has negative connotations in the church world. Pastor is NOT for “the prosperity gospel” because it makes the gospel all about materialism and there has been a lot of abuse. The true gospel is all about the person of Jesus and His finished work at the cross.
Despite the controversy around the word, Pastor felt the need to preach it because he knew that it was from the Lord for the times we live in.
“Prosper” is a biblical word. It is the Hebrew word “tsalach” in the Bible.
Prosperity is not about materialism. It includes financial provision, but it’s much more than that. God wants us to prosper in every area of our lives—in our marriages, parenting, family, and relationships.
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.”
— Isaiah 60:1–2 NKJV
“the darkness shall cover the earth” — We are living in these times of darkness. Both moral darkness and spiritual darkness.
“And deep darkness the people” — Depression. Melancholy. Overwhelming sadness that can’t be understood.
“His glory will be seen upon you” — But during these times of darkness, God’s glory will be seen upon us. It will be visible even to unbelievers. Just like Potiphar could see that the Lord was with Joseph (see Gen. 39:3). People will be able to see God’s glory on you because everything you touch prospers, or because they feel it when you walk into a room and bring the peace of God.
“The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.”
— Isaiah 60:3–5 NKJV
“Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side” — There will be family reconciliation in these last days.
“The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you” — Today, “the Gentiles” refers to unbelievers.
Isaiah 60 tells us that these things will happen when darkness covers the earth. It’s a word for us today.
The Bible isn’t just a history book. It speaks of what’s happening now and what will happen in the future.
“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
— I Corinthians 10:11 NKJV
“they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” — We are the people living in “the ends of the ages.” The events in the Old Testament were recorded for us as examples—telling us what to imbibe, what to receive during these last days.
The Old Testament is also important.
The Old Testament = the new concealed
The New Testament = the old revealed
We study Old Testament stories (like that of Joseph and Abraham) because there are truths that apply to us.
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
— Romans 15:4 NKJV
“Hope” — The Greek word for “hope” is “elpis,” which is the confident expectation of good. Hope is believing that you’ll see light where darkness now seems to prevail.
Pastor Prince gives a brief recap of last Sunday’s sermon:
We are studying the Passover because it happened during the darkest time in Egypt:
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”
— Exodus 10:21–23 NKJV
“all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” — This light is supernatural light. Just like the thick darkness was supernatural darkness. Likewise, today, God will create a palpable difference between us and the world. The light among the children of Israel is a picture of our families during the end times.
After the Passover, the children of Israel left Egypt wealthy and healthy:
“He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes.”
— Psalms 105:37 NKJV
“silver and gold” — This was what the Egyptians owed the children of Israel for all the years they were enslaved and not paid for their work.
“none feeble among His tribes” — Among a few million people, not one of them was on crutches. Not one crippled. Not one carried on a stretcher.
“And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.”
— Exodus 11:1–3 NKJV
“the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians” — There’ll be favor upon God’s people in the last days. Don’t be afraid of the darkness. God created a divide between Egypt and Israel.
All this happened because of the Passover. The Passover lamb was but a shadow of Jesus. We will receive much more when we partake of Jesus Himself, when we partake of the Holy Communion.
The children of Israel left Egypt healthy and well-provided for. This is our portion too.
The Bible refers to money as “unrighteous mammon” in Luke 16:10–12. Money on its own is unrighteous.
But you can sanctify money (make your money holy). How? By tithing.
Pastor Prince shares how he doesn’t preach on tithing often, but he felt convicted that it was a word from the Lord for us right now.
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“For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.”
— Romans 11:16 NKJV
When something is holy, it is set apart. The Hebrew word for holiness is “kadosh,” which means “uncommon.” Holiness is not about having a holier-than-thou attitude, which God hates. It is about being uncommon and set apart.
“if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy” — If you give your 10% to God, you make the rest of it holy. The devil, who is the devourer, cannot touch it.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Matthew 6:21 NKJV
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” — It doesn’t say “where your heart is, there your treasure (money) will be.” It’s the other way around. This means that where you put your money is where your heart will be. When you tithe your money to the Lord even when you don’t feel like it, your heart will follow.
There is no safer place for your heart to be than with the Lord.
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
— Luke 16:10–12 NKJV
“if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches” — When you’re faithful with money, you’ll be rewarded with true riches: ministry, wisdom, honor, dignity.
Pastor Prince shares an experiment done in the 1940s that proved God’s hand of blessing on those who tithe.
An American miller in the 1940s, Perry Hayden, put what God said about tithing to the test and saw amazing results:
This story was published in Time Magazine, Jul 30, 1945.
Others who tithed and became successful: Heinz, Kraft, Rockefeller
We believe in a God who supplies and provides for us.
God’s heart is for us to be blessed in every area of life.
“Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.”
— Malachi 3:7–9 NKJV
“Return to Me, and I will return to you … In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings” — We return to God, turn our hearts back to Him, by giving Him our tithes and offerings. The tithes belong to the Lord.
“You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me” — God didn’t say He cursed them, He said they were cursed. God doesn’t curse you if you don’t tithe. When you hold on to the 100%, you come under the curse that’s on the earth because of Adam’s sin. There’s a curse on the ground and everything that comes from it—including your cheque book, your credit card, your dollar notes. Tithing delivers your finances from this curse.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.“ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.”
— Malachi 3:10–12 NKJV
“Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field” — There will be no miscarriage of the things you set out to do, e.g. your business, your plans.
“For you will be a delightful land” — People will want to invest in you.
This is the context of Malachi 3 that shows that it was written for our times:
“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming?And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.”
— Malachi 3:1–2 NKJV
“Will suddenly come to His temple … who can endure the day of His coming?” — These verses refer to the 2nd coming of Jesus. So the context of Malachi 3 is our times—between the 1st and 2nd coming of Christ.
Some people have the misconception that being under grace means that anything that requires discipline is not grace or not rest. That’s completely untrue.
Pastor Prince addresses misconceptions that “grace people” sometimes have about tithing.
Some people say this and quote 1 Cor. 15:20, 23.
But what does Jesus Himself say?
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
— Luke 11:42 NKJV
“For you tithe … and pass by justice and the love of God” — The Pharisees were tithing religiously. They weren’t compelled by the love of God to do it.
“These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” — We ought to have justice (helping the poor) and the love of God, without leaving the others (tithing) undone.
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Tithing is not a law. Abraham responded with the tithe long before the law was given. And God made Abraham rich in every area of his life through his tithe.
In the Hebrew:
Tithe = “maaser”
Rich = “aser”
The word “rich” is found in the “tithe” (see slide 25).
When Abraham tithed, he wasn’t in the best place in life. He had defeated many kings and now he was afraid of retaliation and plundering. But he tithed anyway. And God came to him and said, “Abraham, fear not. I am your shield and your exceeding great reward.” (see Gen. 15:1).
“Reward” — The word “reward” is the Hebrew word “sakar,” which means “salary” or “wages.”
Even if you’re not in a good place, you can tithe and know that God will take care of you and your livelihood.
“Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”
— Hebrews 7:7–10 NKJV
“there he receives them” — The word “receives” in the Greek is in the present passive participle tense. Jesus receives our tithes NOW. Today.
Tithing is God's secret for His people in the end times.
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Pastor Prince shares the story of Nehemiah and Tobiah from Nehemiah 13. Nehemiah was furious when he heard that the high priest of Israel removed all the tithes from one of the rooms in the courts of God’s house so that he could give the room to Tobiah—a Gentile and unbeliever (see Neh. 13:1–13).
“Tobiah” — His name means “God is good.” But remember, he’s not a Jew, he’s not born again. He represents people today who say, “God is good, so we don’t need to tithe. Everyone is going to heaven!” It’s a humanistic, universalist kind of “God is good.”
The truth is…
It’s never a law, duty, or obligation to tithe. We tithe out of a revelation that God has been so so good to us. He is the source of our supply. With this revelation, we acknowledge, honor, and worship Him with our tithes. Don’t tithe out of obligation, and don’t tithe if you don’t have the revelation.
Nehemiah threw out all the household things that belonged to Tobiah.
“And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.”
— Nehemiah 13:8–13 NKJV
There are truly no insignificant details in the Bible. Hidden in the Hebrew names of those appointed to be treasurers are the qualities of the people God can trust with His provision and resources (see slide 35).
“Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.”
— Genesis 24:10 NKJV
Abraham’s servant brought 10 camels, representing all the wealth Abraham had. That’s why it was so meaningful to God.
Your tithe represents your blood, sweat, and tears. It represents the sacrifices you made to earn that money. It is the seed that reaps a reward for your entire family.
God wants you to prosper in every way. Understand that prosperity is not just financial. Poor indeed is the man who is only rich financially.
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We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2018
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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