Does the Gospel Favor Financially Poor People? 02/25/2018: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 And today we’re going to ask this question does the gospel favor prefer pity and aid financially poor people does the gospel prefer and favor poor people as you can see over here the rich and the poor go to the same place in the end all of us are going to die you know that’s it your body’s going to decay and all that beauty you worked on this goes to the dirt you know. there’s a big push in America that alms and helping the poor is what the church is supposed to do and what the gospel is all about so is that a good question to ask yes now let me give you a little background on the poor today and half of the world that is 3.2 billion people live on two dollars and fifty cents a day that is $75 a month okay you think you got financial problems huh.

▶ 1:04 70 percent of the world live on less than $10 a day that is less than $300 a month okay that is a fact now also when I was reading and researching. They say they claimed that they have reduced poverty 50 percent since 1990 or so. But I noticed they did that without inflating the dollar the dollar buys less so really they made no dent in poverty you understand all right and [unclear] also bragged about a literacy rate of 85% now folks that’s something to brag about in my day when I started ministering the literacy rate was horrible people could not read or write everywhere I went preaching and other nations they literally couldn’t read and write to bring that to 85 percent is really an accomplishment wouldn’t you say 85 percent of.

▶ 2:11 7.2 billion people can read and write that is amazing but also I realize that. Them being able to read and write did not change their living standard and I was an advocate for literacy that would change that when I was young and now I see that reading and writing. Doesn’t change anything there has to be a change from within are you there now. 95% of the world will never own a car never. 95% of the world will never travel out of their nations or even their region they were born in 95%. 95% will never ride an airplane.

▶ 3:05 So the big majority of the world is what poor and Jesus said the poor you will always have with you there is no program that’s going to keep some people from being poor ok they could be born in a situation where they have that they’re stuck you know and anyway that [unclear] present-day facts on poverty now to answer this question does God favor the poor we are going to go to Matthew and Luke the same account. Some Jews came to Jesus and they said Jesus are you the coming one or do we look for another. Alright now Jesus is going to answer this question but let me tell you what they mean by this these Jews in the New Testament they accepted an old testament promise of Christ or messiah okay Genesis the very beginning of Genesis God promised messiah a Christ would come okay.

▶ 4:18 Also the Old Testament promised two prophets would come one like unto Moses and one like unto Elijah these Jews believe that and they’re asking Jesus are you the Christ are you the prophet okay. John the baptist was Elijah the prophet as Elijah I should say as not the real guy Jesus was the prophet Moses talked about they also were looking for a king a ruler from the house of David from the tribe of Judah they were also looking for a priest from the Levitical priests of the tribe of Levi these Jews were looking for that and they believed that their interpretation of the scripture their understanding of the scripture I should say is the Christ the prophet and the king and the priest they’re going to conquer evil they’re going to conquer the Jews enemies which at that time was the Roman empire and they’re gonna start an eternal kingdom.

▶ 5:24 with Israel as the dominant nation wouldn’t that be nice. Israel’s the dominant nation the Muslims believe a lot like that and they are the dominant nation a lot of Christians believed like that that we are the dominant nation. Are you out there yeah that’s a Jewish belief so. When Jesus came and he did not start an eternal kingdom in the natural world but in us they couldn’t accept it because they were looking for something else when Jesus came as a king and he would not rule and lead them in a revolt against Rome they couldn’t accept it because they were looking for a different kind of messiah a different kind of Christ a different kind of king and let me submit to you we could be wrong in his second coming if they were wrong in the first coming we with all their scientific predictions could be wrong could that be true so we need to be ready to accept him as he comes you know Jesus said I’m coming not only for my people but I’m coming to my people and I’m coming in my people you got to be ready to identify and

▶ 6:55 accept what he chooses to do not some book out of the Christian bookstore could that be an amen now. so especially the Jewish religious leaders they couldn’t accept Christ why because it exposed them. Everything Jesus said was the opposite of what they were looking for are you there and guess what religious leaders today have a real problem. Learning revealed truth because it exposes their lack of truth that they’ve been teaching the people.

▶ 7:34 Got it and you could be wrong you could be one of those people you don’t have to be a leader you got your opinions and when revealed truth comes you don’t want to change because you’re gonna look bad don’t do that don’t let Satan fool you like that change amen so the Jews present day believe all the above but they believe the temple is gonna be rebuilt and the sacrifices are going to start again even though God says I don’t dwell in a temple made by hands I dwell in the assembling of my people and in each individual and a lot of Christians today believe that the temple is going to be rebuilt over in Jerusalem they actually believe that when the Bible says totally the opposite because they’ve heard it so much they just believe it are you there and you might be one of them today that actually believed this temple is going to be [unclear] and the sacrifices are going to be done if the sacrifices was in God’s purpose to be redone why did Jesus have to die in the first place.

▶ 8:44 He made the one sacrifice for everyone there we don’t need animal sacrifices that pointed to Christ we just need Christ now can that be an amen. Hallelujah. They also believe that all 13 tribes how many of you know there’s 13 tribes of Israel yeah one tribe was split up into two so that left us with 13 tribes anyway they believe all these 13 tribes are going to come back to their homeland all of them and they believe that the homeland is going to be restored to the Bible borders a lot of Christians in America believe the same thing because they’ve been told over and over and over and they don’t dig into the Bible they don’t even read the Bible most Christians never read the Bible they don’t go to Bible studies and really learn the Bible they go to Bible studies and hear the same old thing over and over and over.

▶ 9:48 Could that be true yeah all right so these Jews are coming and asking is he the messiah the prophet the king and the priests Jesus was the priest but not from the tribe of Levi he was from the Melchizedek priesthood an eternal priesthood no beginning no end and they didn’t get that in the Bible are you there so watch all the charts watch all the predictions and just be open to when God moves to accept him could that be a good amen now. So Jesus answered and this is how he answered as the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed a deaf hear the dead are raised the demons are cast out and the poor have the gospel preached to them there’s our question the poor have the gospel preached to them and people think that the Bible favors poor people if you want to be spiritual be poor all right now why did Jesus answer like this because there.

▶ 11:04 Was no large scale of miracles before there were miracles here and there healings here and there in the Old Testament but when Christ came he was healing hundreds every day some days he healed over a thousand and folks I mean no healing line doesn’t work when you got a thousand people to needs healing there has to be a quicker way huh oh. [unclear] he just speaks and it’s done yeah that’s how powerful [unclear] and so he’s bringing out the point all the miracles he did walking on water breaking the loaves and the fishes up and all these things and all the healings that he did and he said the poor have the gospel preached to them he is preaching a fulfilled gospel he is saying the kingdom is now I am the messiah I am the prophet I am the king he’s not preaching a message that’s going to be he is preaching a message that’s now in the present time got it so he’s answering him with what evidence.

▶ 12:18 They want to know if he’s the messiah he give them evidence didn’t he didn’t he are you out there today. Alleluia. now in Luke 4:18. Jesus again quotes from Isaiah and says the spirit of the Lord is upon me for he’s anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And if you’re middle class upper class you’re left out. Okay so the implication when you just use certain scriptures and there’s quite a few scriptures like this I just got [unclear] there’s quite a few that implies that God favors the poor. But we go to Matthew 5:3 Jesus the same Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit not in money.

▶ 13:15 Not in like a natural thing they are lacking spiritual things you see the secular is a world a physical world no spiritual and secularists do not believe in a spirit world most scientists are secular and they don’t believe in a spirit domain. You see but there is a spirit domain there is a world outside of the natural world and he says they that are lacking in the spirit theirs is the kingdom of heaven when they can admit they lack spiritual things then I can come and give them the kingdom of God the spiritual things the kingdom of God is the king in the spirit world amen. again in the old testament [unclear].

▶ 14:12 [unclear] 66 I will look on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit the word [unclear] is a preposition that states there’s further information coming to clarify and explain the previous information the previous information I will look on him who is poor of a contrite smitten spirit not money. Amen not money you see and he trembles at my word I will look at the person that trembles at my word they don’t laugh at the word mock the word and say the word is a myth and all that they shake from the truth of that Bible all right they’re convicted and they’re poor and they they recognize I need more spiritual understanding in my life how many can raise your hand and say you need more spiritual understanding in your life yeah.

▶ 15:23 All right and God says I’ll look to those people when you admit you need me I will come and meet with you alleluia isn’t that beautiful [unclear] how bad you’ve been you don’t care all the nonsense you believed before when you admit you need more spiritual things in your life he comes now [unclear] now. 95 percent of humans this is my statistic I have preached all over the world okay I’ve preached in jungles and big cities and everything else. 95% of the human beings on earth whether they are unbelievers or believers are spirit poor gospel poor and there’s no global concern we have a global concern about poverty in this world and the humanists.

▶ 16:21 And the liberals and socialists they gain a lot of attention because they talk about the poor all the time and how they’re going to solve the poor problem okay. But no one cares that 95 percent of the people are not gospel rich nor spiritually rich and that’s a tragedy could that be an amen there is a spirit world and we need to learn about it now. Look at all that money. I’m going to ask this question if the world including followers of Christ can be spirit poor and can be gospel poor then can the opposite be true can everyone be spirit and gospel rich is that a good question alright now let’s let’s see if the Bible answers that Colossians 3:16 let the word the gospel of Christ dwell in you richly.

▶ 17:33 Abundantly more than you need in all wisdom so we have two things here God says is spiritual riches his gospel his word and his wisdom the wisdom that is from above. His first pure then peaceable. Full of mercy and good fruit. Gentle willing to yield. Without partiality. And without hypocrisy. ask for wisdom from above God gives liberally. Solomon was made the king the king of Israel and he asks for wisdom. To rule God’s people well and the nations from near and far come to hear the wisdom.

▶ 18:34 the wisdom that God above put in Solomon’s heart see you can teach one another in Psalms hymns and spiritual song God gave me that song about three years ago it also has Jesus in it Stephen in it and Daniel in it. Four verses you can actually sing songs. If you ask God for them are you there. so if we are rich in the word and rich in wisdom we can what teach and admonish encourage advise and comfort one another in Psalms hymns and spiritual songs if

▶ 19:28 We have the riches we can help other people and they can help us one another it’s important you read one another I can say something that helps them they can say something or seeing something that helps me so. The worship service in a church service is a very important part of the service it is not a warm-up it is not American Idol time get all the great singers up there and show their skills and all that it is a teaching time a meeting with God time can I hear an amen all right now we’re going to go to Ephesians 5:18 it says the same thing they’ll speak to one another with Psalms hymns and spiritual songs but instead of saying let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom he says be filled with the spirit.

▶ 20:23 So being filled with the spirit. Knowing the word of God in the gospel and having the wisdom from above are all three here riches of God is that clear. And so let’s don’t argue about whether there’s tongues or no tongues or whatever let’s just realize that being filled with the spirit is part of the riches of God and we need to get it amen and the spirits what reveals truth by the way he will lead you into all truth okay. now Romans 10 11 says he God [unclear] Jesus gives generously his riches to all. Who call upon him. How many of you can say Jesus. Let’s all say it Jesus see when you call on him he will generously.

▶ 21:24 Give you his riches he wants to he’s not playing hard-to-get he wants you to be wise he wants you to know his word. Amen now. In Acts 2:17 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh are you flesh here today I don’t see any ghost has God promised to fill you with his spirit let’s quit arguing about it and let’s pursue it all right you know I never had to argue about the baptism of Holy Ghost after I got baptized with the Holy Ghost all right. Now James 1:5 if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that gives to all men liberally.

▶ 22:20 How many prayers. Are spent with God’s people asking for wisdom not very many they’re wanting to get out of financial debt or some kind of problem or whatever or healing of the body they never asked for wisdom and how many you know how the Holy Ghost comes you have to ask for it. They’ve never asked for it they never asked for wisdom because they haven’t been taught to ask for it they’ve been taught you’re saved you’re going to heaven yes heaven is a wonderful place and living for eternity is wonderful but God offers me riches now. And why shouldn’t I have them now okay. The tragedy of the past visitations is the people.

▶ 23:17 Worshiped leaders the one who brought the message and they forgot that the whole message of the gospel is Christ in you the hope of glory you can have the word you can have wisdom you can have the spirit and so everybody come to church waiting for the mighty man or woman of God to do something. Wesley Calvin Luther all of them the people followed the leader instead of the gospel in my day they honored Oral Roberts Billy Graham that just passed away and he was a good man a great man. Norman Vincent Peale.. Which was very questionable and martin.

▶ 24:09 Luther King Jesse Jackson Jerry Falwell Joyce Meyer [unclear] Jakes Schuller and I can go on and on a lot of these have died and gone but the people just accept anything they tell you that it’s truth instead of going to God and getting truth from the source can I [unclear] I ask this question all the time wherever I go is there any present-day minister that can surpass Matthew mark Luke John Paul. Peter. That’s all we have they were there to give us the words that Jesus spoke. Are you there so why do we lift these people up it’s just seem to be a natural thing in us and I had to learn this as a young Christian not to try to imitate some minister I have to be me in Christ and I can only be me as Christ gives me the spiritual understanding and level and growth or whatever to be me I can’t be somebody else [unclear] you know that is freedom yes.

▶ 25:24 Alleluia but we want we want them to do our praying we want them to do everything now I submit to you that worship time is followers time. He said teach and admonish one another in Psalms hymns and spiritual songs. Amen so worship should not be just a oh let’s get the coolest music out from the music hit parade worship should be teaching something every worship session and that is the session where you can pray a spiritual prayer I prayed a prayer over there because [unclear] I couldn’t prophesy it it wasn’t in that nature so I prayed it okay.

▶ 26:22 We can prophesy we can sing and there’s people in the Bible that have given a gift of singing but most singers who have a singing voice don’t have this. Hunger to get on their knees and get ahold of God so they can use that voice. are you there a message I preached two weeks ago took me over 40 hours to put together. Because I’ve never heard it before I didn’t understand I didn’t see it before it was new and I [unclear] had to make sure that it was truth so it took me over 40 hours you show me a singer that spent 40 hours before God to get a song and yet singing in the Bible is a ministry.

▶ 27:17 And a musician the Bible says you can prophesy on an instrument you can actually play by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost on an instrument how many musicians spend time connecting the spirit with their instrument what I’m trying to do is encourage you that you have more than you know you have riches but we’ve got to see it and we’ve got to come in and let God use us. Amen. We got to quit letting the big televangelists and all that do our praying and so forth we need to get ahold of God and be used whether we are doorkeeper whether we’re children’s church a worker a teacher in school office worker whatever we need to touch God and be rich in what he’s given us to do amen.

▶ 28:18 So all of us can have the word all of us can have the wisdom from above and all of us can be filled with the spirit and be used of God to help others and receive from God. Let me give you the example the apostles Paul he went on three journeys okay and he would go to one [unclear] like Ephesus or Colossians and he would start a church from the preaching he would not be back [unclear] that church for years. Are you there they had no radio they had no tv they had no smart phones. Okay if they had to wait for Paul to come back what kind of church would they be.

▶ 29:10 But you see they could get the word they could get the wisdom they could be filled with the spirit and they could teach and admonish advise comfort and encourage one another until the mighty man of God came back through are you there. Hallelujah. how many would like to be a candidate to be used of God yeah it’s gonna take some work. Hey you got to put some time into seeking God reading the Bible okay. Is that true yes and then you got to come into the service expecting God to use you he may not but you come in expecting you know if you got a thousand of congregation you’re gonna be used maybe once a year or maybe once in two years because there’s a whole lot of people that God can use.

▶ 30:13 But in most churches the congregation is never given an opportunity to minister they have a song service not a worship service there’s a big difference are you with me so. Worship time is what followers time said worship time is followers time it’s your chance to pray in the spirit sing in the spirit give a prophecy in the spirit a word of exhortation a word of comfort are you with me will there be mistakes yes but I guarantee you [unclear] kids make mistakes growing up do we throw them out no we just deal with a mistake teach them and keep going let’s don’t be so afraid of making mistakes that we don’t do what God asks us to do could that be [unclear] there are three events that change the apostles.

▶ 31:16 After Jesus rose from the grave three events. Before that they denied Christ they wanted to call down fire from heaven and kill people that didn’t follow them and all this stuff they didn’t understand things good Lord but after he rose they were different people they never had sexual immorality listed one time and [unclear] believe me their enemies would have used it if they could have they never stole from the church money they never had heart attacks or what am I trying to say nervous breakdowns they never had nervous breakdowns and had to go take a sabbatical these guys were solid after Christ rose from the dead why why were they that solid no matter what came their way they were unmovable number one in Luke 24:32 he came to two and began to talk to them and open the scriptures to them and their heart burned there’s their baptism of fire their heart burned within them as he opened the scriptures a little later in verse 45 he comes to the whole group and he opened their understanding that they might understand the scripture how many can raise your hand and say Lord I want my understanding open to understand the scripture you see it

▶ 32:47 took Jesus for three and a half years they heard him teaching and they didn’t learn beans. Some of you been in this thing thirty years and haven’t learned beans. Because no one has told you to go to God and ask him to open your understanding. Amen. but they still had in Acts 6:4 [unclear] give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word I am shocked that people can’t find time to pray at least five minutes a day I’m just shocked that Christians don’t do that they can’t find time to read the Bible that’s their food and prayer is your your smartphone with God your communication it’s your Facebook man prayer is your Facebook with God we got time for Facebook and we don’t have time for his face.

▶ 33:50 And we need to change that it doesn’t take all day just give him some quality time amen. Matthew 3:13 3:11 Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire 24 [unclear] tarry in Jerusalem until you are clothed endued with power from on high. That’s the promise then in Acts 2:3 here comes the fulfillment of the promise and this is the systematic procedure for this first they heard a sound from heaven they heard this visitation like a mighty rushing wind it was not a wind [unclear] blow but it was a big roaring wind sound came into that place they heard this visitation of God then they saw the cloven tongues of fire set on each one cloven means divided or distributed the same word when Jesus passed out the food that he broke the bread and all that then he distributed to the people.

▶ 35:07 Distributed tongues and tongues just simply means languages folks Spanish Chinese Japanese English so forth that’s all tongues means in the Bible is languages and languages that you don’t know. You haven’t been taught that’s the difference. Are you with me they saw these languages on each one they could see this move of God they could hear this move of God and remember this fire is used all through the Bible. Moses at the burning bush the fire did not consume the bush and the angel was in the bush and God spoke out of the bush both an angel and God was there and God.

▶ 36:00 Could have been the angel. Because of other scriptures. The pillar of fire that led Israel out of Egypt it was the light on one side to God’s people it was darkness to the pharaoh’s army on the other side they could not see because of the fire over on the other side God’s people could see because of the fire you see and God wants us to see doesn’t he but we got to be on the right side of the fire and you remember Moses went up to the mountain it was a place that was like fire and he entered into that fire and he came out with the ten commandments the word of God and he came out with his countenance changed. Now I don’t know about you but I can use a change like that oh yeah and I can use him opening up the word to me and that was done in a fire but let me also tell you when the complainers and the murmurers started murmuring complaining God brought a fire and dealt with them and boy.

▶ 37:13 Does the church have complainers everybody complains about everything you know they got flaws in their own life but you’d never know it they only see flaws in everybody else’s life and we complain and we murmur and we gripe and we groan. God wants to baptize you in fire to get rid of those things that hinders your growth. Amen he wants to burn those things out of you. So the fire is important. then they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in languages. They spoke in 15 different languages that the Bible tells us that day that they didn’t know 15 different languages and they were speaking the mighty works of God not just nonsense they were speaking the revealed truth of God’s word isn’t that something and yet today people say what tongues are not for today and all that that’s a bunch of baloney Paul said forbid not to speak in tongues didn’t he didn’t he why are we all so upset about tongues.

▶ 38:31 The Bible also says the tongues languages are a sign to the unbeliever listen folks if I was an unbeliever I would I would want any kind of supernatural event to get my attention that the church could offer me could that be an amen and do all speak with tongues no but let’s don’t attack those that do. And let’s don’t say it’s not for today. Now. People say well that was one incident really really. Acts 11:15 here is Peter God poured out his spirit on the Roman soldier and the Roman household ok filled them with the spirit and Peter is talking to the other apostles and he said the Holy Spirit fell on them the Gentiles the Romans just like it fell on us at the what beginning at the beginning they heard a sound at the beginning they saw languages of fire at the beginning they were filled with the Holy Ghost at the beginning they spoke the mighty works of God.

▶ 39:57 How many know you can speak the mighty works of God without having to do it in languages ok languages is not for everybody. You can still speak the mighty works of God when the Holy Ghost comes on you are you with me so. These three things will change your life and make you rich in the spirit in wisdom and in the word so you can teach admonish others and receive teaching from others. we don’t have to wait for the mighty men of God to come [unclear] in the worship service that is the followers time that’s a time to sing songs that the spirit wants to use it’s a time to pray in the spirit sing in the spirit prophesy and so forth it is the followers time.

▶ 40:56 didn’t Jesus say these signs [unclear] follow them that believe yeah see we can pray for the sick we can ask God to do miracles how many need a miracle in your life yeah see we can ask God for these things now there are ministers that have gifts like that but we as a church group can do this amen. But how many churches give an opportunity. For followers to minister and if they do how many followers come prepared to be used of God.