Apr 27 2009
Success and Prosperity, Gods Abundant Provision
Col. 1:9-12 for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Verse 10: And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God .Verse 11: Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and enjoy fullness: giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light.
Let me point out all the positive words in this passage. First: Paul speaks about the Christians at Colossi being filled with the knowledge of God’s will– not just having somewhere in them the knowledge of God’s will, but being filled with it. This comes from all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Verse nine: not just some, but all spiritual wisdom.
Then he prayed that they may live a life pleasing to the Lord in every way, – not just pleasing him in some ways, but pleasing him in every way. And he prayed that they may bear fruit in every good work. Verse 10: that is the hundredfold Christian growing in the knowledge of God. Then, he prayed that they may be strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. Verse 11: not some power, but all power— with the result that they may have great endurance.
Perseverance or endurance was one of the key words in the parable of the sower. Here, Paul wants us to have great endurance and patience and joy. Finally, Paul uses the statement that God the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. God has given us the provision that is needed to enter into our inheritance in the kingdom of light.
God’s will is settled forever in the Word of God. He wants us to be fruitful; He wants us to bear fruit, to succeed in every good work, and to please Him in every way. He has also qualified us, or equipped us, to do this.
We have seen already that God wants us to be fruitful in every good work. This is the will of God. There is no question about His will– the question is our response to His will.
God has made full provision
The second fact is this: God has made full provisions for us so that we might be fruitful. We have seen from Paul’s prayer that God has equipped us, or qualified us, to take our place in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. This truth is brought out in many ways in the New Testament. Here is a very powerful statement that God has made full provision for this! 2 Peter 1:3-4
According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: [4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Notice that opening phrase, His Divine power. That’s total omnipotence, His unlimited power, has given us everything we need. Let me emphasize that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. That is provided in two related ways: first, through our knowledge of Him who called us, that is, through the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and second, through His very great and precious promises. The provision comes through knowing Jesus Christ and through appropriating the promises of God’s Word.
There is a saying: [The provision is in the promise.] in the promises of God’s Word is contained all the provision we will ever need. You might say, that God has given us full provision, where is it? The answer is that it is in the promises of God’s Word. As you appropriate these promises, you discover the provision.
There are two marvelous results of appropriating the promise. The first is that we participate in His Divine Nature. The very nature of God Himself comes into us, as we begin to share in His Divine Nature. Second, the logical negative consequence is that we escape the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires. How do you feel about the possibility of becoming a partaker of God’s own Nature and escaping the corruption that is in the world through evil desires? Does that not appeal to you? God has made full provision for that. He has made it possible for you and me to do that. Everything we need is already been given to us.
Thus, we have two sides. The one side, our side, is do we want God’s best: and the other side, Gods side, is He does want it for us and has made full provisions for us. So, the key decision is, do we really want God’s best? That is one thing God will not do: He will not make the decision for us. We have to make the decision for ourselves.
Many of the lessons that follow will be on the principle of success, or what we will have to do if we really want Gods best. God wants His people to have abundant provision!
Philippians 4:19, but my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
You see, this is talking about supplying all your need; including your financial and material needs as well as other needs. In fact, in this particular chapter in Philippians, Paul is talking about financial and material things, because in the previous verse, it says that these people had given of their material substance.
Second Corinthians 8:9, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that ye through His poverty ye might be rich.
People misinterpret that word rich. Someone may say, you mean God is going to make me a millionaire? The word rich according to the dictionary means a full supply.
In other words it means abundant provision. Isn’t that what Philippians 4:19 says, but my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus?
It didn’t say, but my God shall supplied half of your need— no it says all of them, it promises a full supply!
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 6:33, but seeking ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you!
This scripture didn’t say all these things shall be subtracted from you. No! These things shall be added unto you. Now what are these things? They are material things, something to eat, something to wear, and so on. In other words, these things are talking about the material things of life.
So many people think it is a mark of spirituality to go through life with the soles of their shoes worn out, the seat of their pants worn out and just barely getting along.
But that isn’t what Jesus said; He said all these things shall be added unto you, not taken away.
I believe second Corinthians 9:8, is probably the best definition of success and prosperity ever written. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always have all sufficiency in all things, and may abound to every good work.
It stands to reason that if you have only the bare necessities of life, you are not prosperous and successful, and if you have all the necessities of life, but no more, that is not prosperity, for you are still barely getting by, your cup is not yet running over.
But if you have everything you need and something left over for the poor that is prosperity. If after you have paid your tithe on your normal income, you still have something with which you can send missionaries into the field to preach the Word of God and to spread the gospel through His Word, to those who know him not, that is prosperity.
We will cover this in great detail, in the lessons that follow.
Number one: God wants us to be?
fruitful and productive!
Number two: So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female created He them, and God bless them and God said unto them be?
be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it
Number three: God here listed five things that He wanted us to do, name them.
Number 1: to be fruitful: number 2: increase in number: number three: fill the earth: number four: subdue the earth: number five: rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
