Money Matters: Part 3 - God’s Supernatural Power to Deliver from Debt

0:08 All right. I'm going to continue my series that I've been on for the past two weeks. This is week three on finances. We're going to talk about finances. We spent week one talking about benefits of giving. Last week we talked about debt. And I am in the, I'm on a campaign to kill the spirit of death.

0:35 Amen. Thank you, 17 people, for affirming that with me. We are being killed. Our community is being destroyed by debt. Marriages are being ripped apart. Families are being messed up because we are depending upon debt. Debt is a killer. Tell your neighbor, debt is a killer. Debt is a killer. It's a killer. and we want to try to encourage you to not lean on debt. As a matter of fact, I keep forgetting, bring that credit card thing out here. For the past 37 years, I filled up one of these. We filled up one of these. We cut up credit cards. Notice how they didn't say amen or nothing to that.

1:29 And anytime while I'm preaching, you want to come up here and get rid of your credit cards and join my second bottle. My first one's filled all the way to the top. I couldn't get any more credit cards in it. I cannot imagine the number of lives that have been impacted and helped by all of the people who decided not to live on debt. And if the Lord leads you or if you become convinced, can I tell you one thing? Some people have to feel led before they do certain things. And sometimes you shouldn't have to be led. You should just be obedient.

2:11 Praise the Lord. And so if you feel any time, there's a couple of scissors up here, you can feel free. Now, last Sunday, I didn't bring this out, and I didn't say nothing about it, but one of our members came up to me after service, and she said, Pastor, the first time you taught this, I came up, cut up my credit cards, and put my credit cards in the bottle.

2:35 Then I went home and called my credit card company and asked them to send me another card. But she came to tell me that. She says, Pastor, I realize I made the wrong choice by doing that. But this time, she said, this time I'm cutting them up and I'm not going to do it anymore. Amen.

3:00 Y'all a little weak on the amens here today. It's okay. I'm going to still preach it. I'm still going to preach hard. I'm still going to declare it. And if only one person hears me, I will feel as though I help one person's life. Amen. So I'm going to talk about that. We're going to talk about, today I want to talk about, here's what I want to do today. I want to talk about, I want to show you two stories in scriptures where God helped persons who were in debt supernaturally get out of debt. Now I'm persuaded and I'm convinced and I believe if you choose to do the right thing, God will help you. Lean over to your neighbor, say, if you choose to do the right thing, God will help you. God can get you out of debt. Keep telling He won't talk to them, saying, God will get you out of debt. God will work a miracle for you.

3:54 God will make provisions for you. God will put resources in your pocket. I am persuaded and convinced and believe that if you make one step in God's direction, he'll make two steps in your life. I'm persuaded. I'm convinced. I am persuaded. So I want to show you two stories where God helped two situations, people who had debt get out of debt. The first one is in 2 Kings chapter 4. So let me invite you to turn to 2 Kings chapter 4.

4:32 And I'm going to start at verse 1, 2 Kings 4, beginning at verse 1. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, and the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves. So Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, go. bless you I was wondering why people was clapping I was reading the scriptures I thought I was so anointed that there was an anointing in the reading So Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you?

5:49 Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels. Do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons. then pour it into all those vessels and set aside the full ones. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons who brought the vessels to her and she poured it out. Now it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said to her son, bring me another vessel. And he said to her, there is not another vessel. so the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God and he said, Go sell the oil and pay your debt and you and your sons live on the rest.

6:54 There are several lessons in this particular passage of scripture that I want to highlight. The first one I want to highlight lessons is that this woman came to the prophet and said, my husband's dead, he's died, and he has left us in debt. so much so that the creditor is coming to enslave my sons until the debt is paid. Let me throw this out parenthetically. It's true. Men, don't leave your families with debt when you die. Come on sisters, I'm trying to help you all out. When I die, my wife is going to cry for about two minutes. And after those two minutes, she's going to wipe her tears and say, John Jenkins was a good man.

8:00 Amen. Aren't you going to say that, baby? Yes, I know you are. And don't let no other Negro come up in there. I will come back from the dead. For real. He left his family in debt.

8:49 And now her sons were about to be enslaved until the debt was paid. And then Elijah asked her an interesting question. Tell me, what do you have in the house? and she said your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil you see he was pointing out and he knew that the secret to her miracle was in the house Amen.

9:27 He asked her, what did she have? She says, I have, she minimized this value. She says, I don't have nothing but a jar of oil. And he wanted her, and he told her to go get it. And I think it's important that I recognize that some of you don't know that you have some valuable things in your house that can help you get out of debt.

9:52 Because y'all know we collect things. We got stuff in our house that we don't use. We got stuff in our house that we don't wear no more. We can't fit it anymore. We got stuff that could be valuable to someone else. That perhaps they can use it. Perhaps you can sell it to them. Whatever, you can use that to get out of debt. Amen. As a matter of fact, at the 10 o'clock service, they got so excited about it at the 10 o'clock service that at the 10 o'clock service they said, Pastor, what we ought to do is have a church-wide yard sale where we'll sell all the stuff that we have that can help us get out of debt. I'm glad to see that the 12 o'clock crowd is not as excited about that, but they are excited. But come on, you know you got some stuff that you can't use. You got some stuff that's still good.

10:49 And it's tragic. I think it's sad, I think it's tragic that so many people got stuff that is valuable that somebody else could use that can help you get out of debt. I told my wife. Proud of you young man. Proud of you. I forgot where I was. Oh, yes, yes. I told my wife I am retiring in three years, and we're going downsize. And so I said, we might as well start now because we got so much junk. In stuff, okay, it's not junk, it's stuff.

11:44 Well, some of it is junk. In the garage. I said, we're going to start in the garage, because there's all kinds of stuff in there. We haven't used it in years. Flower pots. Just mounds and mounds of flower pots. With no flowers in them. Yeah. And so I want to encourage you to look at the things that you have around your house that can help you get out of debt. If you could sell some of the stuff that you have, it might be to pay off some of your credit cards.

12:22 Amen. I wish I had a praying crowd with me today. This is a tough crowd. Yeah, I want to encourage you. So this woman is in a terrible posture. She's in a bad situation. It's sad that she's indebted. And so the scripture says that he said, what do you have? And all I have is this. All I have, nothing but this jar of oil. And he said, go get jars. And here's what I love about this story. The prophet told her to pour the oil into these vessels. Gather vessels, not just a few. Go borrow them from your friends. Go do whatever you have to do. But go and get it and pour the oil into these jars, into these vessels. And that's what they did. And the supernatural thing is this. As long as she had jars, the oil continued to flow.

13:19 Amen. Somebody say amen right there. God will make that. When you make the right choice, when you make the right decision, when you decide to do the right thing, God can stretch out what you need to get and what you need to have. God can cause the supernatural to work on your behalf. She kept pouring and as long, I love it, it says the moment she ran out of jars, the oil ceased. so she long as she had it she she she took those that oil and poured it into a jar verse two is that she identified an asset i want y'all to look around your house look in your garage look in your closet y'all need to be gathering the stuff that you don't wear can't wear don't fit you need to gather stuff that you don't use anymore you don't need to have it anymore you need to gather it all together and when we have the church wide yard sale Thank you.

14:19 I wish I had a praying crowd with me. Yeah, we're going to do it. We are going to do it. We're going to help people get out of debt. We're going to help you get rid of some credit cards. We're going to help you to get free from that 21% and 20% interest rate that you're paying. We're going to help you get free. It's going to be a step in the right direction. Somebody give God a shout right there. And then, so she gathered the jars and she poured into the jars. And I call that a marketing plan. That's a marketing plan that she poured the oil into the jars. It's a marketing plan. I'm telling you to get ready to clean up. Matter of fact, whatever you're going to sell, clean it up.

15:15 If you've got some clothes that you're going to fit no more, before you bring it to the yard sale, take it to the cleaners. I feel tension in the room. Market it. Put it in a system. Package it. Put it in a package and sell the asset. That's what we're going to do. Sell it. We're going to get rid of it. Amen. Somebody can use it. Somebody, it will have benefit to somebody. I'm trying to help somebody else. And this woman got a supernatural provision. Matter of fact, not only did she get rid of the debt, the scripture says she lived off the rest. Can you imagine getting enough of your stuff that it can help? Some of y'all, there's some stuff you need to get rid of. Maybe you don't need a big old house no more. You can sell your house and move into something smaller that you don't need all. Amen.

16:10 Amen. Amen. Amen. This is a tough sermon to preach. Look at your neighbor and say, you don't need all that house. I know you think you do. I know you think you need a lot of that stuff. You don't need all that stuff. Amen. You don't need that fancy car.

16:45 A hooptie will get you to the same location that you need to get to. Let me go back here and talk to the people back here. They know what I'm talking about. Amen. The hoopty will do the same thing. They're that fancy car that you're driving. Every time something breaks down, you got to put $1,000 out. Hello? Hello? Is this mic on? Can you hear me? So that's number one. God supernaturally helped this widow woman get out of debt. I'm beginning to like this crowd. Look at her getting free.

17:51 How many cars you got? I said, praise the Lord. She's killing it. God's going, you're getting a breakthrough. You feel freedom coming over you. You feel, amen, praise him. She said, woo. Now you coming up here like you got an attitude.

18:13 don't get no attitude you're about to get free a chain is about to break off for you you're gonna get rid of debt you're about to have a miracle come in your house amen it should be hundreds and thousands of y'all coming up here amen all that debt y'all have all that debt y'all depending on how you're living your life let me go on to the point two let me go to point two Yeah, let me hold her while you get rid of the dad. Let me hold her. Hello, beautiful. You're so pretty. You're beautiful. Yeah, you're going to preach when you grow up. You're going to be a preacher. Because your mama ain't going to have no debt upon her.

19:08 She's going to be free to be able to pour into you and spend time with you. Yeah, look at her. Ain't she pretty? It's taking your mom a long time. I don't know how many cars she got up there. Amen. It's a miracle. It's a... Huh?

19:36 Oh, yeah. Wow. Huh? Oh, you did. You got a new job. I got the job, Pastor. You got a job. Praise the Lord. Your life is never going to be the same. I'm so proud of you. So proud of you. Thank you. What's her name? Her name is Kaylee. Kaylee. All right, Kaylee, in a few years, you're going to be a miracle baby. Praise the Lord for you, baby. Go ahead. Somebody high-five your neighbor. Say, look, God's freeing up people today. We need to go ahead and shout. Say, God's people. Some families are getting free. Some marriages are getting free. Some miracles are getting free.

20:29 And don't call the company up and tell them to send you a new one. Don't do it. Hallelujah. Now, Here's my second story. Matthew chapter 17. Matthew 17, and I'll be finished. Matthew 17, I'm going to start at verse 24, 17, 24. When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, does your teacher not pay the temple tax? He said, yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him saying, what do you think, Simon? from whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes from their sons or from strangers Peter said to him from strangers Jesus said to him then the sons are free nevertheless lest we offend them go to the sea cast in a hook and take the fish that comes up first and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money.

21:56 Take that and give it to them for me and you. Y'all see that story right there? It's powerful. Peter wanted to ask the question because they had asked him, does Jesus pay his taxes, his temple tax? And Jesus said, yeah, listen, go down to the sea, cast in a hook. The first fish that you catch, reach in its mouth, and you'll find some money. And when you take the money out, pay the taxes on me that I owe Jesus and on you. Y'all missed a great spot to say amen. What did he do? Here's what he did. Now, y'all know Peter was a fisherman. Y'all know he was a fisherman.

22:51 And here's what Jesus said. Go to the sea. Here's what that means. Go to work. Y'all stop depending on welfare and people to give out stuff to you. Get a job. Somebody tell your neighbor, get a job, get a job. Stop depending on handouts for somebody. Stop borrowing money from people. Just go to work. He went to work. He went to work, and guess what? He excelled at his work. He did good at his job. He didn't halfway do it. He didn't partially do it. Some of y'all go to work, but you don't go to work. If y'all all clap together, everybody know, nobody will know. I'm talking about you.

23:44 Amen. You halfway do your job. You don't show up till you're supposed to be there at 8 o'clock. You show up at 8.30. Your lunch is supposed to be 30 minutes. You go on for an hour. You get off at 4.30, but you got your desk packed up and your coat over your arm at 4 o'clock. Hello, hello. is this on? Can y'all hear me? And you want to know how come God can't reward you and bless you on your job because you halfway doing the job. What I'm telling you to do is to go to work and excel. Be the best there is. Do more than what's required of you. Go above and beyond. Just don't do enough to get by. Go above and beyond. I know it's not in your job description, but it is because it's other duties has assigned. When a company about to lay off people, they should come past Christians.

24:43 They should come. When they get to the Christian's name, they should be saying, oh, no, we can't let that person go. They're too valuable. We depend upon them. They do their job too well. They know everything. If we lost them, we're going to lose quality. We're going to use quantity. We're going to lose somebody who knows everything that's going on around here. We're going to lose money if we lose that person. Excel. Somebody say, Excel. Do more than what's required of you. Be the best at it. When Peter went down to the sea, Jesus said, go down to the sea and cast in your hook. And the first fish you catch, here's what Jesus was saying, go do your job. And when you catch a fish, what if Peter didn't know how to do his job and couldn't get no fish? But he knew what to do to get the fish, and he got blessed. I had a good government job.

25:37 I've been telling people this all day. I had a good government job. When the church called me, I became the pastor in 1989. I did both jobs through both my good government job through all of 1990 and the church. At the end of the year, I realized I couldn't do both. So I went to my job, and I said, I am quitting. because I'm going to be the pastor of the First Baptist Church. They could not believe I was leaving my job, my good government job, to pastor a church.

26:12 But I said, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Then they said, take a leave of absence for a year because they thought I was coming back. So they said, take a leave of absence for a year and then a year, let's decide. Halfway through the year, they called me back for a meeting. Halfway through the year, I go back to this meeting. While I was out, they called me back in to give me a raise. Thank you. don't play a hate come on celebrate don't be mad at me don't get jealous I'm trying to put some of what's on me on you that's what I'm trying to do I'm trying for you to be the best I'm trying for you to get a job some of y'all go to work every day and can't get a raise Yeah, I want to drip drip you. I want you to drip. I want to drip all over you.

27:18 Yeah, I want you to have the same favor that God put on me. Somebody say amen. Look at your neighbor. Say, go to job. Go to work. Go to work. Tell them on the other side and be the best you can be. Excel at your job. Be the best that you could ever be. Be the best that you can be. Utilize your skill. You'll be the merchant. And guess what? After you go to work and you do the best, guess what? Expect God to work a miracle for you.

27:56 Expect God to do the unexpected. Expect God to give provision. Expect God to give you a bonus. Expect God to promote you. Expect God to open up doors. Expect God to take you to places. Why? Because you did it well where you were. When you show yourself faithful, he can open up another door for you. I'm prophesying today that God's going to raise up some people at the 12 o'clock service, that they're going to get promotion, they're going to get raises, they're going to get bonuses. God's going to do the spectacular for you. hallelujah somebody give God credit and praise ahead of time somebody say he somebody say he's able he's able he's able he's able he's able he can work it out he can open up a door he can do it God can God will Father, I'm praying that you cancel out debt through these people.

29:07 I'm praying that you open up miracles, that you give them resources to get completely and totally out of debt, never to go back into debt again. Now, I'm finished. I'm finished.

29:28 Let me tell you one more thing. There's something about each one of these two situations that's important. I'm finished. This is my last, this is my first close. Amen. The woman, the widow, was given instructions by the prophet. And she went and did what the prophet said. Peter got instructions from Jesus and Peter went and did what Jesus told him to do. All I'm saying, I'm representing Jesus. I'm representing the prophet. I'm giving you some instructions. I didn't come up with them. I got them from the word. And when you do what the word says, expect God to do the spectacular.

30:23 Can I get an amen? Is there anybody here that's willing to give God credit ahead of time? Is there anybody here willing to give him praise ahead of time? Anybody here willing to give him thanks ahead of time? Hey!

30:46 Excel. Be obedient. And watch God perform for you. Stand up on your feet and give God a shout. Yeah, come on. Anybody else want to cut up their...