Stewardship In Finances

 Temple Baptist Church - 11-5-2023

Genesis 14:17-24; Malachi 3:8-12

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  In Genesis, chapter 14, we find the first war recorded.  It was a major war of 4 kings against 5 kings with possibly at least 8 battles fought over a short period of time. 

 

1.  I will not go into the details of the war but, during that war, the 5 kings of the south (the 5 nations that God would destroy in chapter 19) broke their bondage to the 4 kings of the north and were defeated. 

 

2.  Lot, with all his possessions and people, became captives.  Abraham was told and made war against the kings of the north, defeated them, and brought back Lot will all his possessions and family.

 

B. Abraham was met by two men, the King of Sodom, and the King of Salem.

 

1.  The King of Sodom offered Abraham bounty in exchange for Lot’s family.  The devil will give you the world but it will cost you your family.

 

2.  Melchizedek, the King of Salem and the priest of the most high God, brought forth bread, wine, and a blessing.

 

3.  The First Mention of a “priest” found in your Bible.  And this first priest was a priest of God.

 

C.  Prior to this time, there were only two offerings mention: 

 

1.  Atonement - Genesis 4:4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

 

2.  Thanksgiving - Genesis 8:20  And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

 

D.  Abraham gave tithes of all that he had in verse 20.  Here is my point: I find no place previous to this where the tithe is mentioned, and Melchizedek did not ask for them.  But Abraham knew about the tithe and what it was!

 

1.  Tithes not solicited.  Melchizedek did not ask for Abraham’s tithes.  He came to give and to bless, a beautiful type of our High Priest who is after the Order of Melchizedek.

 

2.  Tithes not commanded.  God did not command the tithe here.  Though the first fruits of men were required from the beginning of time.

 

3.  Tithes not wasted.  Evidently Abraham had previously known to tithe or give the first fruits, he had kept them for the proper time and place.

 

4. Found in the word “tithe” is a tenth.  Now the precedent was set for the rest of the Bible concerning the tithe: what it is, where it goes, and to who it goes.

 

5.  Here we find a two-fold blessing:  a)  Abraham was blessed in verse 19  b)  Abraham blessed God in verse 20.

 

E.  In Malachi, chapter 3, we find the Lord chiding Israel concerning their “robbing God” by not brings tithes and offerings.

 

Malachi 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

 

1.  The Place of the Tithe.  “storehouse … mine house”  The local church.  Why? 

 

a.  Because God said it.  This in itself should be enough for God’s children to be obedient in the tithe.  This is compelling love. 

 

b. Because God sacrificed His Son for the local church. Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

 

c.  Because it is our local church.  Not my church alone, not everyone else’s church, but your church.

 

d.  The fourth reason:  With your local church, there is fiscal accountability.  Our church operates with checks and balances as well as provides financial reports to every member.

 

2.  The Purpose of the Tithe.  “that there may be meat in mine house” 

 

a. It takes a lot of money to properly run a church  Tithing pays the bills and furnishes the local church with everything that it needs to run efficiently.

 

b.  It takes a lot of money to properly keep a church in pristine condition.

 

c.  The tithe pays your pastor’s salary and benefits. 

 

d.  The tithe and offerings pay missionaries a living so as to carry the gospel to places we cannot go.

 

3.  The Proving of the Tithe.  “prove me herewith” 

 

a.  This is something that experiential!  I can tell you a thousand times how God blesses the tither but you will never know these blessings until you try it. 

 

b.  There is an old saying, “The proof is in the pudding.”  Taste and see! 

 

4.  The Pleasure of the Tithe.  “a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive.”  It thrills my heart to place both tithes and offerings in the collection plate on the first day of the week along with every service that I attend.

 

Conclusion:  Our Lord called money “the least” and “the unrighteous mammon.”  If He cannot trust us with these, He cannot “commit to your trust the true riches.”  That is a quote!

The 400 Silent Years

Temple Baptist Church - 12-30-2012
Malachi 4:5-6; Mark 1:1-4

Introduction:

A. You and I live in the times of the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

1. Those who know the truth of God’s Word also know the truth of God’s time. The Second Advent is eminent! Our Bible reads like the newspaper of our day and all has been fulfilled preceding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. I want to look at the years preceding the First Advent and make some spiritual applications to the Second Advent when our Lord comes for His church.

B. We read from the last of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of those verses in the first of the New Testament. The Old Testament ended with the pronouncement of a curse while the New Testament began with the birth of two men.

1. The birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ: the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The Bible gives the analogy of Israel being a wilderness when John began his public ministry. It was not a physical wilderness because the land was populated but it was a spiritual one.

2. The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father: the Saviour of the world. The Bible gives the analogy of Israel being in great darkness when our Lord was born. It was not a physical darkness but a spiritual one. The time of His prophetic birth was well documented in the Scripture and Israel indicted for their lack of knowledge of the Saviour’s birth. The Wise Men knew and came from the East to worship. Israel, because of the spiritual blindness of their hearts, spiritually slept.

C. The last of the Old Testament prophets died with Malachi being the last spoken word given by the Lord and, for the next 400 years, heaven was silent and the only revelation from God was the written Word that He had given. During these 400 years, Israel began to change spiritually.

1. Alexander the Great defeated the Media-Persian Empire and introduced the Hellenistic Culture of Greece to the conquered world which included Israel. The Hellenistic Culture was one of ease and pleasure. When Malachi prophesied, Israel was already spiritually compromised. During these 400 years, the Levitical Priesthood as well as the people of Israel became compromised and worldliness.

2. Rome defeated the Grecian Empire and placed Israel under its “iron fist” and set up a “Puppet Government” to rule Israel. Israel began to place its trust in ceremonial worship instead of true worship and a “form of godliness” became the rule of the day.

3. When Israel came out of the Babylon Captivity, they brought with them the Mishnah from the Babylonian Talmud from which Israel established their laws, worship, and beliefs. The Mishnah continues to supersede the Word of God.

4. During these years, two religious sects arose to confront the worldliness that permeated both the priesthood and the Nation of Israel: the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

a) The Pharisees (means the righteous ones) were the “separatists” of the day and championed the Oral Law. They were exclusive: they accepted no one who did not meet their standards. While holiness emulates God, Phariseeism emulates the Pharisee!

b) The Sadducees (means a heretical Israelite) stood by the Ceremonial Law. Sadducees were inclusive: they accepted anything and everyone with no regard to biblical principles.

c) When John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ were born and ministered, there were only a few looking for them and few followed!

d) This brings us to the analogy of our day as compared to these 400 silent years. God allowed the preservation of His Word in the King James Bible 400 years and, since that time, we have had nothing to follow or base our faith upon except it!

1. The pulpits and the pews have since seen compromise and worldliness creep in.

2. Those with truth tend to Phariseeism which is still exclusive! If you do not follow their standards, you do not belong and are to be spurned!

3. Those with little or no truth tend to be the Sadducees which are all-inclusive. It does not matter what you believe or how you act: the church doors are open to all.

4. Then, thank the Lord, there are those who are anticipating the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ and are the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

E. What do we need to be doing in 2013 as we wait for the coming of our Lord? I will preach on this subject over the next few weeks so here is the first thing that we will do.

1. We will continue to Magnify God’s Word! Psalms 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. (God said “Magnified,” not minimize!)

a. My question this morning is simple: “When did people quit believing just the Bible?”

1) Now they believe the professors of universities and Bible Colleges

2) Now they place their faith in the “manuscript critics:” the modern day Gnostics and Nicolaitans!

b. My personal stand on the Bible comes from the Bible, not from my pastors or the colleges where I studied. I believe what the Bible says about the Bible: it is inspired, it is preserved, it is inerrant, it is infallible, and it is eternally enduring and the final authority for both faith and practice. I say, “Don’t like it, take it up with God! It is His Word, not mine.

c. Paul told young Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

1) Timothy studied the Word of God that he had been entrusted with. Not a commentary nor a college but the Word of God. Seminaries have been the downfall of every major denomination and the trend continues today.

2) Instead of building within the young preacher confidence in this blessed old Bible I hold in my hand, they undercut it. These “professors” subtly destroy the confidence of the students by retranslating, re-rendering, and confusing.

d. Learn to study this Bible and you will be surprised at the clarity of its teachings! The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. I wanted to know where I stood on the Bible so I went to the Bible to see what GOD had to say, not what man thought.

e. Here is what I found in the BIBLE about the Bible:

A. The Inscribed Word is an Eternal Word - 1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

B. The Inscribed Word is an Inspired Word - 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (This tears up the nerves of the liberals. This verse refers to the “holy Scripture” that Timothy was brought up under [verse 15] which were not original manuscripts but copies! God called them “holy” and “inspired!” My Bible is called the Scriptures and on the back of the cover, it says “Holy Bible!” God breathed life into the originals and that life still remains in His Preserved Word! It is INSPIRED! Not “From The Mind Of God To The Mind Of Man” but “from the mouth of God to the mouth of man.” God told Jeremiah to write the words that He spoke in a book. Plenary inspiration or “word by word.” No double inspiration but a single act of inspiration and continuing preservation.”)

C. The Inscribed Word is a Preserved Word - 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (Biblical preservation is an act of God, not an act of man. God uses men but, if God left preservation up to fallible man, we would have nothing in our hand today but what man thought. I am glad that I still have the Word of God in my hand and have the utmost confidence in it.)

Psalm 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

D. The Inscribed Word is The Faultless Word - Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (The liberals find fault with the King James Bible because they compare it to the wrong manuscripts. I find no fault with it at all and, therefore, not need for change or discussion.)

Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

E. The Inscribed Word is the Authoritative Word - 2 Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (I am not the authority and neither is the commentator or college professor! This Bible is the final authority for both faith and practice. Disagree with it and you disagree with God. PERIOD!)

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

F. The Inscribed Word is the Essential Word - Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (You cannot be saved without it. It is a saving, life giving Bible. No wonder the devil so desires to destroy or confuse it. You cannot live for God without it. It is essential that we have the Word of God and we have it.)

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

G. The Inscribed Word is the Rejected Word. Men today correct it and introduce other versions based on another set of manuscripts. This was the only Bible for over 250 years and without question the Word of God. We do not need another Bible; we need to believe, study, share, and live according to this one. I have never doubted this Bible! I may not understand all that I read but I believe every word of it. You cannot destroy my faith in this Bible because you are not the authority in my life. I agree with God: it is the Word of God!

Conclusion: Hang in there because He is coming and we are leaving! It will be worth it all when we see Christ.

The Blessings Of Giving

Temple Baptist Church - 9-13-2009

Malachi 3:8-12

Introduction:

A. This morning, I am going to preach on stewardship. Not just its command, but its blessings. This matter of tithing and giving is one that strikes fear and anger into the hearts of some professing “Christians.” I have heard people say, “All you Baptist preach on is money!” This will be the first time in several years that I have even touched the subject.

B. The reason that I do not preach on this subject much is this: our church has been one of the most giving churches that I have ever been in. I believe that most here have a good grip on this thing of tithing. But, here is my fear: Giving In A Wrong Spirit!

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (Even among some of God’s people, stewardship has become a thing of “necessity” which brings about “grudgingly” in our giving.)

C. Here is the problem: preachers have been guilty of only preaching the Command of giving and not the Blessings of giving.

1. Tithers do so because they “have to tithe” instead of realizing the blessings and “want to tithe.”

2. If tithing becomes a thing of necessity, they giving above the tithe becomes a thing of grudgingly!

D. Why do people hate the subject?

1. Because many religious charlatans have abused God’s people through their begging tactics. I want to reiterate this morning that God is not broke! I do not have to nor will I beg for God! I will present a need and allow the Holy Spirit to work in the heart of His people to meet the needs of the church!

2. Because tithing and giving are matters that reflect the hearts of individuals! Tithing and giving is a heart matter and shows both obedience to and love for our Saviour.

3. Because tithing has been preached the same way as separation, as a command instead of a blessing from God!

E. Tithing is beneficial to both the tither and a lost world. If we had testimonies this morning from tithing families, they would praise and glorify God for both the ability and blessings of tithing. I have no regrets concerning God’s precious tithe and offerings that my family gives. We tithe and give in the financially hard times as well as the good times because God is faithful.

F. Lets look at these verse for a few minutes and see both the command and the blessings of stewardship.

1. Understanding The Tithe. (Don’t get nervous on me now!J) Vs. 8 Some years ago, as I was passing Mt. Zion Baptist Church here in Laurens, I saw the pastor’s Sunday Morning sermon title on the church sign: “There’s Going To Be A Hold Up Sunday Morning!” I got a kick out of the title. I love to hear a black preacher preach when he is a fundamental Bible believer. They have a rare talent at doing so.

a. Tithing and Giving are place on an equal plane! God requires both.

1) The Tithe - Stewardship is much more than simply “paying a bill” that amounts to 10% of your GROSS INCOME. First fruits mean just that. It comes before your taxes, bills, or entertainment. It comes off of the top.

2) The Gift - My family’s giving above the tithe is more than the tithe. A man once asked me, “Just how much am I to give?” My answer was this: “Whatever God requires of you!” Ten percent, twenty percent, or 100 percent. It is all His and he will not let you starve through your obedience to His leading.

b. Failure To Tithe And Gives Brings A Curse! Because you actually “rob God!” There is a sign in the window of the bank that I use which reads: “What can you get for robbing a South Carolina Bank? Twenty five years!” If robbery of a bank brings about such a severe penalty, how much worse is it to rob God?

Haggai 1:6-11 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

c. Rob God and you will never prosper if you are saved!

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

2. Understanding The Blessing. Vs. 10-12 God did not command stewardship to hinder your finances or hurt your stand of living! Tithing and giving is beneficial to the giver. It is a blessing, not a burden! It should thrill our souls to be able to give back to God a portion of that which He so graciously has given to us. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God. He feeds us, clothes us, and shelters us! It is God who supplies our every need and so graciously allows us to have a part in winning souls both here and on the foreign mission fields. Let’s go back to that verse on “necessity” and “grudgingly” for a minute but add the context to it.

2 Corinthians 9:7-11 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

NOW BACK TO MALACHI 3

a. The Blessing Of Plenty. God will POUR you out a blessing from the windows of heaven! POUR, not trickle! POUR, not drop! God will bless you with so many spiritual blessings that you will not have room to receive it! I don’t know about you this morning, but God has blessed my family. No, we are not rich but we have enough! God’s blessings are so much more than just money. Having “ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS!” “BREAD FOR YOUR FOOD!”

b. The Blessing Of God Rebuking The Devourer. (Things that devour our living such as a “bags with holes.”)

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (You take care of God’s business and let Him take care of yours! “MULTIPLY YOUR SEED SOWN AND INCREASE THE FRUITS!”)

c. The Blessing Of Being Blessed. (All nations will call you blessed!)

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (The song says, “Thank you for giving to the Lord! I am a life that is changed. Only heaven and eternity will reveal what God has laid up for those who love Him!)

d. The Blessing of Pleasing God – True stewardship is because we love God, not because we must give! Faith in finances pleases God! We are trusting God with our lives and our living. “FOR GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER!” If you want to shout, shout while the offering plate is being passed. Shout because God has so blessed your life. Shout because you have a chance to prove you love for and faith in God.

Conclusion: What a privilege to be able to give! What a blessing to be able to give! Tithing and giving are truly faith and heart matters.

The Immutability Of The Lord

Temple Baptist Church - 11-9-2008

Malachi 3:1-6

Introduction:

A. We live in a world of change. A lot has been said in the past few months in the political realm about change. The changes that they are talking about are not the changes that need to be made.

1. The world is changing. It is either flood or drought. It is either a category 5 hurricane or it is a storm that fizzles. There are wars and rumors of war on every hand. Voices crying “peace, peace” when there is no peace. People looking for all of the wrong answers in all of the wrong places. Instead of looking to the Lord and righteousness, they look to man and unrighteousness. Immorality is acceptable while morality is ridiculed! To be pure is to be mocked while sensuality is being popularized. Fewer morals, less character, and greater wickedness is the “rule of the day.”

2. People are changing. What happened to old fashioned manners? What happened to old fashioned morals? Iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold in these last days. It is all for me and my four and nothing more. Very few good neighbors and very few even know their neighbors.

3. Churches are changing. I could spend the rest of the service here. Ear tickling preachers ministering to itching ear “Christians.” Worldly churches entertaining worldly people with worldly methodology. Soul winning decreases as sinful living increases and the churches of America are in a mess.

B. I am glad to report that there are still some things that are not changing.

1. There are still Christians in this world that are trying to make a difference. They love God, America, apple pie, and the souls of men. There are some of history’s greatest Christians living today who are ridiculed and mocked for their love for the Savior and separated living. God bless them!

2. There are still good, fundamental, bible believing men of God who are trying to “withstand” and having done all, “stand” in this evil day. I know some good, godly men of God who I am proud to call my brothers. Men who are willing to pay a price for the privilege of being God’s man instead of the world’s man!

3. There are still some good fundamental, separated, God fearing churches in this world. They are few in number with fewer numbers on the pews because they are not what the “many” of Matthew 7:13 are looking for. They have a lot of one time visitors. That is the kind of church that I would be looking for. One that would raise my standards instead of lowering them. A church that would preach and teach the bible so that my family could get some help.

C. In light of all of the changes taking place over the span of my lifetime, I am glad that the Lord declared, “I change not!”

Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God.

Psalms 102:27 But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Hebrews 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

1. The Lord Does Not Change In His Person - 1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting. Amen.

a. Spurgeon said it like this: “The sun itself grows dim with age; the world is waxing old; the folding up of the worn-out vesture has commenced; the heavens and earth must soon pass away; they shall perish, they shall wax old as doth a garment; but there is One who only hath immortality, of whose years there is no end, and in whose person there is no change.”

b. The Lord Is Immutably Holy - 1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (He still hates sin while loving sinners. He can neither commit nor condone sinfulness!)

c. The Lord Is Immutably Good - 1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (The Lord is good all of the time. He is merciful and longsuffering. “Longsuffering to us-ward.”)

d. The Lord Is Immutably Wise - Isaiah 55:9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (The Lord’s way is always the right way as He knows the end from the beginning.)

e. The Lord Is Immutably Faithful - Lamentations 3:22-23 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. (He will be there in your darkest hour as He is in your brightest one.)

2. The Lord Does Not Change In His Promises

a. His Promise To Save The Sinner - John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

b. His Promise To Secure The Believer - Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Spiritually, physically, financially, and in every other way He cares for us. He is a refuge when fearful, He is a stronghold in trouble, He is a very present help in time of need. He secures you; He feeds you; He loves us in spite of our faults and failures; He loves you with an everlasting love!)

3. The Lord Does Not Change In His Purposes

a. His Purpose In Salvation – 1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

b. His Purpose In Sanctification – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;