Superabundance

Superabundance
(Why would God give us a world of colors? He could have made everything grey.)

Do you have a "poverty mentality"? Do you have difficulty seeing yourself beyond your own poverty? Do you see God just giving you enough to scrape by? Aren't you tired of living that way?

The world says, you have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps .... The church sometimes says, "God helps those who help themselves." Some churches even teach that poverty is a great virtue. I was often taught in church that taught that God only gives us just enough to get by. I have to be on guard not to fall back into that old way of thinking.

I have some great news for you today. God is the God of SUPERABUNDANCE! Jesus came to preach good news to the poor. Jesus declared in Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...." Here are some Scriptural examples of superabundance.

1. When Jesus fed the 5,000 men plus women and children, there were twelve baskets full left over.

"And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full" (Matthew 14:20). Certainly they did not need that much.

2. When Jesus fed the 4,000 men, plus women and children, there were seven baskets full left over.

"And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full" (Matthew 15:37). What did they do with the extra baskets?

3. In Luke 6:38, Jesus said that God promises to give unto us that which will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

"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" (Luke 6:38). Please note that "running over" is definitely more that needed.

4. In John 10:10, Jesus said that he will give you a life above that which you can measure.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). "More abundantly" means above measure. You can fill the glass to the brim, but when it is overflowing you can't measure it. Why would God give you more than you need?

HERE ARE SOME MORE Examples.

5. In Psalms 23:5, the LORD your Shepherd said that He would fill your cup until it runs over.

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Psalms 23:5). What do you do with a cup running over? Is God wasteful?

6. In Joel 2:24, God says that He will make your floors full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

"And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil" (Joel 2:24). What would you do with the overflow?

7. In Malachi 3:10, God said that He will open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that you won't have room enough to receive it all.

"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" (Malachi 3:10). If you don't have enough room to receive it, what can you do with it?

8. God made Job rich in the beginning, but multiplied his riches in the end.

"And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10). Why would God bless him with twice as much riches?

9. Although God gave Solomon the wisdom which he asked for, he also gave him abundance of riches.

"And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days" (I Kings 3:13). Why would God give him riches when he didn't even ask for them?

TWO PERSONAL EXAMPLES:

When I prayed for a new home in 1978-79 God provided a home for us much more than we ever imagined.

When we prayed for a new church building, God provided the one for Dayspring more than what we have ever "needed".

Yes, God is the God of superabundance. However, we must get into a position to receive it.

The Position to receive!

1. We must generally acknowledge a need.

In Matthew 14:15 and 15:33 the disciples acknowledged that the people needed food.
Jesus also said, "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31).
Pride keeps us from acknowledging a need. Pride says, "I don't need anything." Pride says, "I can do it myself." Jesus responded to the church of Laodicea by saying, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17).

2. We must be willing to hear from God.

Go to the prophet Ezekiel to prophecy to the bones. "Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD" (Ezekiel 37:4). Did you catch it? The bones, which represented the people of Israel, were to HEAR the word of God.
Jesus said, "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15). We must HEAR before we can see the miracles of God.
Stubbornness is doing our own thing and keeps us from hearing form God. One night I dreamed about being the quarterback of a football team. The man who was to be the star receiver (a big tall handsome player) was so interested in looking at other players and fans that might be watching him that he wouldn't watch for the ball. I would call out to him to catch a pass, but he would miss it entirely because he wouldn't keep his eyes upon the ball. One time I threw the ball and it hit him in the side of the head because he wasn't watching. In desperation I asked, "Is there anyone on the team that can catch a ball?" Several team members pointed to a runt of a player. I hurled a bullet pass at the little guy without a warning. Being off guard for the pass, he reached to catch the pass, clipping the ball with his hand. The ball tumbled and spun out of control in front of him, but in a quick scoop, he grabbed the ball with both hands and drew it close to his side. At that moment, I knew who the new receiver would be.
When God throws a pass of "His will for your life" to you as a football, are you alert to receive it? If it takes you by surprise, will you just fumble it, or will you reach out and grab it and draw it to yourself? We must be watchful that the cares of this life do not choke out the word of God that is planted in our lives.

3. We must believe the Word of God.

Paul wrote "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:6-7). If we don't believe God, we won't sow the Word. If we don't believe that the Word will accomplish anything, we won't witness. However, we always get more than we sow .... good or bad.
Doubt keeps us from believing. "And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?" (Matthew 16:5-11). Our reason or our intellect often keeps us from believing.

5. We must act in faith (faith requires obedience).

God requires commitment before the blessing. "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:    And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil" (Joel 2:12-13).
Both with praying for my house and the church, God required that we would be willing not to go into debt.
Fear freezes us in our tacks.     "Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:    And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine" (Matthew 25:24-25). Fear kept the man from properly using what God had provided for him. Fear keeps us from giving a tithe. We look at what we would have left and say, "I am afraid that that won't be enough for me to live on."
"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.    Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth" (Luke 12:32-33). What is the kingdom like? It is a kingdom of superabundance! God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills" (Psalms 50:10). The silver and gold belongs to God.   "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts" (Haggai 2:8).

5. We must be generous.

"And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me" (Matthew 14:17-18). Now, the disciple had to act.
"And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes" (Matthew 15:34). The disciples had to give Jesus the loaves and the fish.
"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" (Malachi 3:10). Obedience to tithing was the prerequisite for the windows of heaven to be opened.
"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" (Luke 6:38). Giving is the prerequisite.
Greed keeps us from giving. "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself" (Proverbs 11:24-25). Many people are in poverty because of their greed. Greed is the primary reason why people go into debt and have to pay interest in their indebtedness for the rest of their lives rather than earning interest on what they have.

Conclusion:

You can get in on the SUPERABUNDANCE which God has for you!

1. Acknowledge your need ... whatever area of life you have a need in. Again, "need" is an opportunity for a miracle. The principle of superabundance goes beyond finances to every area of life.
2. Be willing to hear from God. We hear when we lay our cares aside and focus upon God.
3. Believe what God says about superabundance is true. His Word never fails, in fact it can not fail.
4. Act in faith. Faith supersedes reason. It is on a higher plane. The airplane can fly because the principles of aerodynamics go beyond that of gravity.
5. Be generous. Why would God give us a superabundance? (1) That we may learn to thank and praise Him. (2) To witness to the World of His goodness. (3) So that we can share with those in need.