Five Principles of Prosperity

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Genesis 24:56God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. To prosper means that God’s hand is upon us, helping us do the things He wants us to do.In Genesis 24, Abraham chose his most trusted servant, Eliezer, to find a bride for his son. In the same way, God has commissioned the Holy Spirit to call out the Bride of Christ, so that we may prosper.This passage reveals five principles of prosperity.First, we must establish our cause. Each of us needs a purpose—something that drives and motivates us. It must be specific, clear, and balanced. A worthy goal is God-given; it creates enough motivation in us to accomplish it and demands our very best. To test the worthiness of our goals, we must ask: If we accomplish our goals, where will we be and what will we have? Are the things we are living for worth Jesus dying for?Second, we must examine our condition. We need to determine where we are now in order to know where to go and in order to plan for the obstacles in between. But remember, problems do not mean that God is not with us. 1 Corinthians 16:9 says, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”Adrian Rogers says, “Opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition.”We must encourage our confidence by remaining in the Word of God. Scripture reminds us of the reward of our work: our Master will be pleased, there will be a Bride for Jesus and God will be glorified. Then we must pray. Eliezer asked God to prosper him in his purpose: “Then he said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham’” (Genesis 24:12).We must enforce our character. We will not drift into success; we need to be disciplined in our decisions, appetites, and time. We will pay a price for prosperity, but God gives us everything we need to fulfill our purpose for Him.Finally, we must enlist our comrades. We cannot accomplish our goals by ourselves; God designed us to depend upon one another.Apply it to your lifeProsperity is more than wealth or extravagance; it is knowing your God-given purpose and being given the grace to accomplish it.Adrian Rogers says, “The bottom line is: when we die, we leave behind everything we have and take everything that we are.”