(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

The chapter that I'd like to focus on is the early part of the chapter, where we see Amaziah the king, he's 25 years old when he begins to reign. And the Bible says he did that which was right, at least in the early days of his reign, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but he did not do it with a perfect heart. So he's basically going through the motions of doing what's right, but his heart was not perfect before the Lord. And early on in his reign, he's going to war against the children of Edom, or the Edomites. Well, when he's going to war against the Edomites, he numbers his troops and he has 300,000 troops, so he has a lot of troops. But it says in verse 6, he hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor out of Israel for 100 towns of silver. Now if you remember this time, the kingdom is divided because of Solomon's sins. The kingdom had divided into the northern kingdom of Israel, the ten tribes, and then the southern kingdom of Judah, which is two of the tribes. These are pretty much two separate nations for a long time now. And so he hires soldiers out of that separate northern kingdom to come and help him. And it says in verse 7, But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit with all the children of Ephraim. So this preacher, this man of God comes to him and says, hey, you should not be teaming up with that northern kingdom of Israel because God is not with them. Now why was God not with them? Well, because they're worshipping other gods. They've forsaken the Lord God and their fathers, they're worshipping Baal, they're worshipping false gods. And by the way, today the so-called nation of Israel, they don't worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me just break that to you. A lot of people think that God is with them and God is blessing them, but God said here, look, if you're worshipping other gods, if you're not calling upon the name of the Lord your God, then God's not with you. When you have a false religion, and of course they have a false religion called Judaism, they don't all believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says if you don't have the son, you don't have the father, because they are one. And so you can't have the one without the other. And so this man of God is warning him, you should not be hiring these heathens to come help you. Well look what Amaziah responds in verse 9. And Amaziah said to the man of God, but what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? So Amaziah understands the preacher's point here. And he says, okay, sounds good, but wait a minute, I've already paid. You know, I already paid for these troops to help me. What do I do about that? And look what the man of God tells him. And the man of God answered this halfway through verse 9. The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. And that's what I want to preach about this morning, that the Lord is able to give thee much more than this. You see, often we make decisions based on money or based on finances. And really money should never determine what's right and what's wrong. And here there's a clear case of doing what's right versus doing what's wrong. Teaming up and yoking up with the ungodly, with unbelievers, with unsaved people, with God had commanded them not to do, and this preacher is specifically telling him not to do, or doing it alone and having faith in God, and it shouldn't be determined by the money that he gave out. Because you see, God is able to give you much more than this, is what he's telling him. How would we apply this? Well, today our economy is uncertain. And a lot of people make a lot of decisions today based on money because they're nervous, because they're uncertain. But the Bible says that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. God promises to provide our needs for us, and so we shouldn't make decisions based on money. God can give us a hundred talents of silver any time he wants to. And so we shouldn't sit there and say, well, I don't know if I'm going to do what's right because it's the cost. You know, today it might cost you money to get to church because of high gas prices. And a lot of people, they don't have a lot of money, and so they say, I'm going to save gas, I'm just going to go to church every once in a blue moon, and maybe I'll just download the sermon. Hey, God, I can't find a place in the Bible that says, download the sermon. But I can find a place in the Bible that says, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. We don't need less church in 2011. We need more church. The closer we get to the end times, the Bible says we're going to need more assembly, more church. And a lot of people will say, well, you know, I think I'm going to quit going to church or go to church less because of the fact that it's costing me to put money in the tank. Look, why don't you just spend a little money, prioritize in some other area, and trust God to make up the difference for you? Because God is able to provide your needs, and if God wants you to be in church, which I know that he does because that's what the Bible says, he's going to provide you a way to get down here. And so don't let money make that decision for you or say, well, I'm going to go to this other church that's watered down and liberal, but it's a little closer so I can save some money on gas. You know what? God's able to give you more than what you're going to save there. God's able to give you much more than that, just like he said here in this passage, the same thing applies. Go to Psalm 49. You see, it comes down to what you're trusting in your life because today we all have financial needs. We all need to eat. We all need to pay our bills and pay for our rent or our house payment. We all need to provide just basic clothing and food and shelter for our families. And who are you trusting or what are you trusting to provide those needs? Are you trusting in the Lord to provide your needs or are you trusting in your own strength, your own wisdom and your own financial reserves, if you even have any. Go to Psalm 49 verse 6. It says they that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches. And by the way, there are a lot of people out there like that. They trust in their wealth. They brag about how much money they have and they say, hey, I've got six months income in the bank. I've got a year of income in the bank and so if bad things happen, I'm good to go. And they're trusting in that and bragging about that. The Bible says in verse 7, none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceaseth forever. That he should still live forever and not see corruption. For he seeeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever and their dwelling places to all generations. They call their lands after their own names, nevertheless man being in honor abideth not. He is like the beasts that perish. The Bible is explaining here that a lot of people, they trust in their wealth and they think it's all about laying up in store for themselves treasures upon earth. And he's explaining to them, you know, what good is your money? Can it redeem the soul of a lost and dying world? Can it redeem the soul of your brother who's not saved? You know, there are more important things in life than money is what God's explaining here. You know, I'd rather win somebody to Christ and redeem their soul with the ransom of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I'd rather spend my life preaching the word of God and serving the Lord than laying up a bunch of treasures for myself. Building a town that I could name after my own name and having all kinds of riches and so forth. And then dying like a beast dies and it's all gone and you're back to the dust where you came from. Obviously we believe in heaven and hell. Obviously we believe that there's the world to come and let me tell you something, you can't take it with you. But you can send it on ahead. The Bible says lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust have corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. It's possible to lay up treasures in heaven where moth and rust have not corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. And when you serve God and do things of eternal value like going to church, reading your Bible, praying, soul winning, preaching, singing the hymns. When you do things that matter with your life, you have a greater treasure than the physical treasure of riches upon this earth. Now we all have to work and pay our bills and earn a living. We all do that but we should put the Lord Jesus Christ and his work first, number one. Because then God promises to provide our need. God can give us much more than what we can get to ourselves through our own understanding. You see right is right and wrong is wrong. I preached before, go if you would to 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter number 6. You know this could apply to so many areas. I talked about just going to church and not letting money be an issue on that. But I remember one time I preached a sermon and I was just railing on just the wickedness of what's on television today. And anybody with their eyes open knows as a believer, as a Christian that you know God is not the one who's controlling what's put on that TV. And I mean there's all kinds of bills, all these comedies and these TV shows and the movies that are coming out now. I mean they promote fornication, they promote adultery, they promote everything that we do not believe in and that we don't stand for. And so I don't want to have this in my house where my kids are sitting there and watching everything that's worldly, everything I've taught them is wrong, glorified. And that's what TV and Hollywood movies do, they glorify that which is wrong. They show people drinking and they show people being promiscuous and it's seen as a good thing. You see my children have been exposed to drinking and promiscuity. But the good thing is that they see it in real life and they get exposed to it in its real context. When we go out soloing and go out knocking doors, hey we see people that are drunks, we see people that are drug addicts. But we see the reality of sin, not Hollywood's glamorized version of sin that makes sin look good. Where people are drinking and getting drunk and they're doing drugs but they have a clean nice house and they're all beautiful and healthy. We go and see the derelict that's drunk. We see the derelict that's on drugs. We see the destruction and the gloom of that lifestyle in its true context. And I was railing on just the evils of television and you know it's called programming for a reason. You know they call it the programming guy because it's basically Satan is trying to program you to think that fornication is okay, that drunkenness is okay. To think anything goes, to think you go to bed on the first date. No, you go to bed the first day after you get married. That's when you go to bed with your spouse, not on the first date as the TV will show you. And I was preaching, I was railing on TV and this guy walked up to me after and he said, man that was a powerful sermon. He said, it's too bad. He said, I just spent three thousand dollars on a flat screen TV. And then you preach that sermon. And you know what the answer was? The same exact answer that this preacher told Amaziah. The Lord is able to give you much more than this. God can give you more than three thousand dollars. You know if God wanted you to have three thousand dollars. And so why don't you sacrifice that thing? Make it a burn off for you. I know we're living in the New Testament, but go in the backyard and get a bunch of stones and build an altar like Abraham did. And then you can put the wood and the fire and put that flat screen on there and offer it as a burn offering. And I'm kidding, of course. But get rid of that stupid thing. Honestly, it's called reading a book, the Bible. That's what you, what do I do when I don't have a TV? You can talk to your family and get to know and find out is that what their name is and who they are and what they like. You could spend time with them and read the Bible and read other books that could teach you something instead of rotting your brain in front of the television all day. But no, it's too expensive. You're going to save money on that cable bill or satellite or whatever they do these days. So what I'm saying is that you shouldn't let money make the decision for you. Well, I already bought it. And that's kind of how Amaziah was. He'd already paid for these troops. I want these guys to fight with me. I already bought them. He said, just forget it. Just chalk it up as a loss. You lost your hundred talents of silver. Let it go. And you know, thankfully, that's what Amaziah did. But his heart wasn't perfect before the Lord. Later on, we saw in the chapter, he messed everything up and totally blew it as a leader. But at least he made the right decision in this one to let the hundred talents go and to not let that make its decision. Look at 1 Timothy 6, verse 17. The Bible reads, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. So the Bible tells us, don't trust in uncertain riches. And let me tell you something, riches are always uncertain. The Bible tells us that riches make themselves wings and fly away. And you think maybe that it's all secure and you've got all this money. But it doesn't matter where you put your money. It doesn't matter how diversified your portfolio is. God can take away your riches anytime he wants to. Look at Job. I mean, Job had everything. Job had it diversified. He had all different types of cattle. He had servants. He had buildings. He had all different types of wealth. And God took it away from him in one day. He lost everything. No one would have thought it would be possible that it would be destroyed in one day. But he was. Don't trust in uncertain riches. He says in verse 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, meaning being generous, willing to communicate. Look, if you would, at verse 10. The Bible reads, For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have heard from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. The Bible tells us that the root of all evil is the love of money. That's where it starts in your heart. When money becomes really important to you, and you start to love having money and amassing wealth, and that becomes the priority in your life, and you start making decisions based on how much it costs or what it's going to be, that's where you begin to go down the downward spiral in your life. But when it starts being important to you to have the cool car and the cool house and the fancy clothes, and that becomes the priority to you, that is when you're going to fall. The Bible says they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. But the root of that lust, the root of it all starts with the love of money. And you say, well Pastor Anderson, I love money. What do I do? This is how I am. You know what? If you're a person who loves money, the best thing you could do is just get rid of all your money. You know what I mean? Just start making decisions based on what God wants. And stop amassing wealth or something. You say, well what's that going to do? Because the Bible says where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You see, if you're out doing good works, instead of being rich financially, if you're rich in good works, as the Bible says, what we just read in 1 Timothy 6, if you're rich in good works, you'll know your rewards are in heaven. That's where your heart's going to be. Because the Bible says, set your affection on things that are above, not on the things of this earth. And so if you go out and invest your time giving the Gospel to people, preaching the Gospel, winning souls to Christ, if you invest your time reading and memorizing and studying the Bible, that's where your heart's going to be. But if you spend all your time investing in financial investments, if all your time spent investing in the stock market or investing in precious metals or investing in real estate or investing in business, if that's where your big investment's going to be, that's where your heart's going to be. And if you're a person who loves money and is obsessed with money, you need to get rid of that stuff and start investing in the kingdom of God. Start spending your time doing good works, serving God, doing the right things. Then that's where your heart will be, instead of having your heart on the Wall Street Journal. I mean, when you wake up in the morning, if the first thing you reach for is the Wall Street Journal, you know, something's wrong. You ought to be reaching for the Bible, first thing. And that can go for anything. The first thing you reach for shouldn't be some political magazine or blog or website. The first thing you reach for should be the Holy Bible, because this should be what's on your heart. This is where your heart is. And so we've got to be careful that the love of money doesn't take over, number one. But not only that, that we don't rely on trust in our riches to get us through the hard times that are ahead. You see, go to Deuteronomy chapter 11. Deuteronomy chapter number 11. See, we all know the famous verse in Matthew 633 where the Bible says, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And he's talking about food and raiment, the things that you need, your food, your clothes. He says, if you seek first the kingdom of God, He'll provide you with that stuff that you need. You won't have to worry about where it's going to come from. And a lot of people today are worried, aren't they? You talk to people that are worried, oh man, the unemployment, and everybody's forcing them to take days off at their job, and they're having to get their hours cut, or maybe their pay is getting cut. And these are sources of real legitimate concern in our country. I mean, the economy in our country is not doing well, and people are rightfully so. They're nervous about that, and they don't think it's going the right direction. But the question is, how are we going to get through these tough times? And a lot of people will say, well, to get through these tough times, I'm just going to have to, you know, quit going to church, because that's taking too much gas, and I'm going to have to spend more time working. I'm going to cut out soul winning. And I'm all for spending a ton of time working. You can spend as much time as you need to spend working, but don't cut out the work of God. Don't cut out church. Don't cut out soul winning, because God's able to give you more than that, if you do what's right, if you serve God. And so a lot of people will say, well, you know, times are tough. It's hard. So, you know, I'm not going to pay my time. I'm not going to go to church. I'm not going to gas up the vehicle for that. You know, I just can't download it or whatever. But you know what? That's not going to help you financially. And here's why. Because God's able to give you more than that anyway. And God's able to take away from you. He told that to Messiah. The preacher told that to Messiah. God can make you lose this battle. He explained that to him. He told him. Before he told him that God could give him more money, he told him, look, God can make you lose this battle. I don't care if you have 300,000 troops. I don't care if you hired a bunch of troops from the northern kingdom of Israel. God can make you lose this battle, or he can make you win this battle. It's up to God whether you win or lose. So don't bring these heathens with you. Do it alone. Do it on your own. Do it with God's people, not with the heathen, northern kingdom of Israel. And he said, well, I already spent the money. Hey, God's able to give you more than that. But do it right. Do what's right. So God's going to bless you more when you obey him than when you disobey him. Now the question is, do you really believe that? Do you really believe that God is able to provide your needs? Do you really believe that God is in control of how you do at your job, or how you do financially, or how you do in life? I believe that. Look at this passage in Deuteronomy 11. I like to think of this as the Matthew 6.33 of the Old Testament. This is the seeking first of the Old Testament. Look at Deuteronomy 11, verse 7. But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord, which he did. Therefore shall you keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that you might be strong and go in and possess the land whether you go to possess it, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, to give unto them and to their seed a land that floweth with milk and honey. Verse 10. For the land whither thou goest in to possess it is not as the land of Egypt from when she came out, where thou sowest thy seed and waterest it with thy foot as a garden of herbs. Now, God's talking about here the difference between living in Egypt and living in the Promised Land. Egypt in the Bible just represents worldliness, the world, the ungodly. The Promised Land is representing God's people the way that we should be living, the place where they're supposed to be. He says in the land of Egypt, you sowed your seed, you watered it. He's basically saying, you know, you made it happen over there. And he says in verse number 11, But the land whither you go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven, a land which the Lord thy God careth for. The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year. Verse 13 is the key. It says, And it shall come to pass if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments, which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn and thy wine and thy oil, and I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full, take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and turn aside and serve other gods that worship them. And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, that he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit, unless ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you. So he's explaining to them, look, when you get into the Promised Land, if you'll obey me and serve me with all your heart and love me, and do my commandments that I told you, I'll bless you, I'll make things grow from the ground, I'll send the rain at the right time, I'll make the weather right or your crops grow well, I will bless you, but if you don't, if you serve other gods, he said, I'll curse the land, it will not rain at the right time, the fig tree will cast its fruit and so forth, because you're not doing what's right. You see, God is able to bless you, and he's able not to bless you and to curse you, and it depends on your obedience to him. And if you are going to sit there and say, well, you know, I'm just going to do this because it makes more sense financially, but even though it's not right, even though it's not the right thing to do, maybe it has to do with being dishonest on your job, ripping people off, and you say, well, you know, I need the money. Times are tough. God's able to give you more than that. You say, well, you know, I've got to take this job, I'm not going to be able to go to church anymore, because I've got to work through church all the church times, I'm working on Sunday morning, I'm working on Sunday night, I'm working on Wednesday night. And you say, well, now I've got to do this. Hey, God's able to give you more than that. If you have the faith to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will be added unto you. If you work hard, and look, some people, they have an unrealistic expectation of how much they need to work. The Bible says six days shall doubt labor. You know, a lot of people think that they're just going to labor just a little bit, a part-time job, and they're wondering why they can't support their family of eight, you know, on their part-time income. Well, obviously, you've got to go out there and work. God commands us to work, and to work hard. But if you're going out there and you're working hard, and you're serving God, and you're putting his word first, and you're reading your Bible every day, and you're getting out there and preaching the word and preaching the gospel to every creature as he commands us to do, and you're being in church faithfully, and your heart is here, and your heart is with the things of God, and your heart is with his word, and you love him, answer. He says, I'll take care of you. I'll bless you. And when you disobey me, it's counterproductive to what you're trying to do. You get that job that makes you work with your church, that's not going to help you financially, because God can't bless that, because God's going to bless obedience, not disobedience. And so if you really believe that God is the one who's in control of whether you succeed or fail in your life, you'll realize that the best way to make sure that you're taken care of and that your family is taken care of is that you obey him and that you put him first, because he says if you put him first, all these things will be added unto you. You'll be fine. You'll be blessed if you do what's right. You see, in the Old Testament, obviously we don't observe this today. It's not part of the New Testament. That's specifically explained in Colossians 2. But in the Old Testament, they have the Sabbath day. We don't observe that. Also, they have the Sabbath year, where when they would plant their crops, they would plant their crops only for six years. And then on the seventh year, they would not plant any crops. They would just let their fields just go wild. Just let them go wild. Just let them go back to nature for one year. And God says, well, you know, I know you're going to ask this question, well, what do we do in that seventh year? How are we going to provide for ourselves? And he says, you know what, if you obey me and you do what I'm telling you to do, he said, in the sixth year, I'll give you triple the increase in the sixth year. And you'll have enough to get you through the sixth year, the seventh year, and even into the eighth year, you'll still be eating of the fruit of what you earned in that sixth year, if you'll just obey. He's saying, I can give you more in six years than you can get yourself in seven years. Seven years working disobeying my rules is going to get you less than obeying me and only working for six years. You'll end up with more. Why? Because you obeyed. Because God can bless you. And there's so many ways that God can bless us, and God is able to give us much more than whatever we gain by disobeying him. Whatever the area is, he can always give us more if we obey him than we can get to ourselves when we disobey him. Let me give you another good example. Look at Psalm 37. If you're in Deuteronomy 11, go to Psalm 37. Right in the middle of the Bible is the book of Psalms. Go to Psalm 37. I think this is a big issue today, 2011, with the way the economy is and the way people's finances are, is that a lot of people today are saying, you know what, I don't want to have children because of the fact I don't know if I want another mouth to be. You don't have to raise your hand, but you've probably heard people talk like that, or maybe you've even had thoughts like that yourself. Wait a minute. How are we going to even afford another child? And so forth. And so sometimes people's doctrine, it's kind of convenient to what they want to do with their life. So let's say somebody is nervous and scared. You know, they don't trust that God's going to provide, and they're nervous about the economy. Then they might say, well, I don't, I think it's okay to take these pills and go down to Walgreens and go to that weird aisle at Walgreens and buy stuff. I think it's okay. These pastors that preach against that, they're just fanatic. Pastor Anderson's a fanatic. We still go to church there, but he's a little bit off the deep end. This is one of them. And so I don't think there's a big deal. But part of that reason is because people don't have faith that God can provide. Because you know what? It is a step of faith in today's world. In today's world, it's a step of faith to say, you know what? Children are a blessing from God. Children are an inheritance of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Look at the promise of God in Psalm 37.25. I've been young, and now I'm old. Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. God says, look, He's not going to forsake you if you're righteous. And your seed will not be begging bread. Your children will not starve to death if you serve and obey God. Now you may not be wealthy. You're probably not going to be. You're not going to be rich. You may not have all the comforts and amenities that you wish that you had, but God will provide you with food and rain. God will provide you with what you need. You will not be forsaken. Your seed will not be begging bread. He said in Philippians 4.19, but my God shall supply all your need. He might not supply all your greed, but He said, my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. God can provide. And I noticed in my own life that when I first got married, and let me tell you something, when I first got married, I was very poor. And some of you know what I'm talking about. You've been there when you were first married, and you're struggling, and you're poor. Anyway, we were so poor, we didn't have any furniture. Our bed was a mattress, and it was a twin mattress, okay, for two people. That's a small bed, okay? We had a twin mattress. We had no dining room table, no chairs. We were like Indians for a while. You know, we'd sit down Indian style, and we had these little oriental dinners, I guess, where we sat around on the floor with pillows. And so we literally did not have dining room. The only time we went out to eat was when somebody was taking us out to eat. That's the only time, you know. And people would take us out to eat and invite us out, that's it. We couldn't just go out to eat. We had two plates, you know, two bowls, two forks, two spoons. I'm serious. I mean, we didn't have money. We were poor. We had one car that I had, you know, I brought into the marriage. And we had one car, you know, the 91 Ford Tempo, okay? And, you know, my wife, it might be either I was about to walk to work or my wife would drop me off at work if she needed the car that day. Otherwise, she wasn't going to have a car. And so we didn't have tons of money. We were pretty poor. We were scraping by. And, you know, you look at that and you think, well, wait a minute, how are you going to afford having a child? You know, you're just barely getting by as it is. But I remember that as soon as my wife got pregnant with our first child, with Sullivan, my boss said to me, hey, I heard your wife got pregnant. He said, I'm going to give you a dollar an hour raise just because your wife got pregnant. He said, I like having a real man. He said something like that. So he gave me a dollar raise. And so, praise the Lord, I was able to get by and I was able to have what I needed. And, you know, I never could have afforded the second one. But then it seemed like God worked things out where I was able to make a little bit more money and just have what I needed. And then I couldn't afford the third one. And I couldn't afford the fourth one. But, you know, I just trusted God with it. And I said to myself, you know what? I know I'm doing right here. I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm working hard. I'm trying to make money. I'm trying to do what I'm supposed to do. I'm out soul winning every week. I'm faithful to church. I'm putting that as the priority, being down there at church, serving God. And you know what? God has promised to provide. He's just going to provide. And He did. And you know what? He didn't provide way in advance. It would always be my wife's already pregnant and it's like, okay, well, you know, what now? And then the extra money would come in and we'd be able to do it. You know, it's been like that all along the way where God provides the need. He takes care of it. And sometimes you've got to step out in faith. That's what that nine month pregnancy's for. That's where the money's going to come from. Okay? And so you step out and you say, well, you know, what are you talking about? Look, the Bible tells us that children are a blessing. That children are a reward. He tells us be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. Okay? That's what He's commanded us to do. He wants us to have children. He says that the younger women should marry and bear children and guide the house. And you know, God designed it. I'm not going to be graphic at all. I never am. I always try to keep it friendly for all ages here. But let me explain something to you. God designed it purposely in such a way where that's the result of the relationship that a husband has with his wife. And there's really no good way to prevent it. End of story. Every way that people try to prevent it is weird or perverse or these pills have all these harmful health effects. And I think God made it that way on purpose where there's just no good way to prevent it. Why? You're not going to believe this. It's because God didn't want you to prevent it. It's because God wanted you to get married, have a relationship with your spouse, and have children be the result of that. And you know, I know this sermon offends people, but you know what? I'm not a politician. I'm not running. I'm not in the primary right now as a candidate. I'm not in the Republican primary right now. You're not watching the debate right now. You're watching church. And I don't really care whether it offends people. I don't want to offend you, but I'm going to preach the truth. And this is the truth. And our society is not telling you the truth when they tell you, oh, man, what are you doing having all these kids and are you nuts? Yes, I'm nuts. Yes, I believe the Bible. And if that means I'm nuts, then call me what you want. And someday I'll be glad that I had all my kids. Someday. Someday. Someday. But you know what? Someday others will regret and say, I wish I had more. I just talked to somebody recently. They said, you know what? I wish I would have had more kids. I've never met anybody who said, why didn't I have all those kids? What have I done? And here's the thing. I did nursing home ministry for years. For years I go to nursing homes and I never had somebody say, you know what? If I could go back, I would have watched more TV. What would you change? I would watch more TV, have less kids. I wish I had gone backpacking across Europe more times. And I wish I would have gone to church less. That's not what people wish they did. They're glad for their family. They're glad that they have children and grandchildren and it's a blessing and they like it. Our society has taught us it's a burden. And if you don't raise your kids right, they will be burned. But if you raise them in church and raise them according to God's word, they'll be a blessing to you someday. And you say, well, I don't agree with you pastor. Okay, but let me say this. Finances should not determine whether you decide whether or not you're going to have children or not. That shouldn't be the issue. Because what you're saying, if that becomes the issue, what you're basically saying is God's promises are not going to provide. Because if you really believe, hey, if I have another child, God's just going to take care of me and make sure that I have enough to provide. If you didn't believe that, I don't know, I lost my train of thought, but you know what I'm saying. If you believe that, you're going to make the decision based on what God has said and what you believe is right, not based on how much it's going to cost if you believe God's going to pick up the bill. I mean, have you ever gone out to eat with somebody and they say, hey, I'm paying for this. And you're like, oh, you're paying? Oh, okay. And you turn to a different page in the menu. Well, I've had people do that. It's like they're on the appetizer, the burger, and then you're like, oh, you're paying? It's like, okay, let me get to the surf and turf section. Let's see, the steak and lobster combo plate is what I'll have, you know, because you're paying. Well, look, if God's paying, if God's picking up the bill, right, hey, have another one. Get more dessert. Get an appetizer. Get a refill on that strawberry lemonade. God's paying. But the problem is you don't really believe God's paying. Because if you were out to eat and you had a doubt about whether the person who was taking you was paying, you'd go a little more conservative. It just means you have to pay, you know. Let's have a salad and a glass of water, okay? A lot of believers are living a salad and glass of water life because they don't think that God's going to pick up the bill for them to do what he told them to do and just have a family, you know, and honestly, I'm not making light of your problems in your life because I know that it is a tough time financially and it does take faith, and I've even had people just come right out and tell me, hey, I agree with what you're saying, but I'm scared because it's just, you know, just the bill. It's expensive. But you know what? That's why we have these promises in the Bible. That's why he says over and over that he'll provide our need. He says, behold the fowls of the air. He says, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? Let me ask you this. Do you think I'm going to feed my children? Yes, of course. Well, isn't God going to feed his children then? Is he going to let his children? I'm not going to let my children starve to death. Well, God's not going to let his children starve either, and he's promised to feed them. I'm not going to say to my kids, sorry, son, you know, we don't have enough money, son, so you're just going to have to stop eating. And God's not going to say that to you either. Now, I might have to say to my son, listen, son, we're not having filet mignon tonight. You know, we're having rice and beans or whatever, because times are tough, but he's going to be fed. He's going to get nutrition. He's going to be able to, and I'm not going to say, you know, sorry, son, you know, we're going to have to eat, you know, just these Twinkies or something. You know, this is all we've got. You know, I'm going to provide him with some kind of nutritious diet, okay. It might not be steaks and lobster, but it might be rice and beans and vegetables, but I'm going to get him nutrition, because I love him. And I'm going to do everything in my power, and if I had to get a second job, I'd get a second job or a third job in order to pay for my children to eat and for them to be well-nourished and for them to have durable clothing. It may not be the coolest brands. It might not be the style of new thing from the mall, but I'm going to at least be able to get them durable clothing. It might be secondhand, but it's going to be durable clothing. It's going to be good food. It's going to be transportation to get to church and get where we need to go. God can provide, he can give you more when you do what you're supposed to do than when you break God's law or put him last, put him second place in order that you might do better financially. He can give you more. And let's just turn to one more place. Let's go to Matthew 6. This is the last place I want to go. Matthew 6. And so I just want you to remember that motto and memorize that verse where he said, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Let's say you're tempted to steal, and you see something that you can just take it and steal it and nobody's going to know, just tell yourself, hey, the Lord's able to give you much more than this. There's some way for you to make a little dishonest money. Just say, the Lord's able to give you much more than this. Well, I'm going to save this much money if I quit going to church or if I go to the first church of the deep freeze that's down the street from my house, it's going to save me this much money per month. Hey, the Lord's able to give you much more than that. Well, if I just download the sermon, it's pretty much like I'm there. No, it isn't. And I've said this many times, if you can't see the whites of my eyes, you're not in church. If you can hear my voice but you can't see the whites of my eyeballs, you're not in church. Because being in church is physically being assembled with God's people and it's nothing else. You can't download the fellowship. You can't download the friends. You can't download the singing. You can't download the Holy Spirit of God that is with us when two or three are gathered together that's here with us in the midst of us. You can't download it. You've got to be there. And you say, well, you know, the gas. Look, ride a bike, ride a bus. Walk, run. Jump, skip, whatever. Get down here. Be in church. It's important. And people get to places that they really want to get to. Places that are really important to them. Places that are really a priority. They find a way to get there. And so find a way to get to God's house. And you know what? If you find a way to get to God's house, God will help you get to the other places you need to go. Because you put Him first. Because you obey Him, He'll bless you. The last place I want to show you is in Matthew chapter 6. In verse number 24, the Bible reads, No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon is talking about money. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life. What shall you eat, or what shall you drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on? Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? You say, isn't your life more than just food and clothes? I mean, is that all it is to you? Just how much food and clothes, or cars, houses, vacations? He's saying, is that really what your life is about? Or isn't there something spiritual that you're living for? He says, behold the fowls of the air. I already quoted you that. Look at verse 27. Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take you thought for raiment, raiment's clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? And here's the key. O ye of little faith. It's just about faith. Do you believe God's promises or not? If you believe God's promises, you'll put him first, his word first, his house first, his work first. That will come first if you believe the promises. Because you'll know, hey, he's picking up the tab. But if you don't believe that, then it'll be evidenced by your actions. When you put God in the backseat so that you can save some money or make a little extra money or whatever. And I've seen it over and over. People who put God first, they get blessed in their life. And I'm not preaching a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. I'm not talking about, you know, coming to church with a bunch of gold rings and a fancy car and saying, hey, you know, this is what God did for me. You know, call this number and put your hand on the screen and send in your money. I'm saying that God's going to provide your needs. And that life's not about being rich anyway. And it's not about having all that stuff. It's about what you can serve God. It's about your family. It's about loving people. It's not about loving things and loving money. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, help us all in these difficult times to have faith in you and to trust your word and to trust you as our Heavenly Father to provide for us. Help us not to think to ourselves that we have to do wrong things or make foolish decisions because of finances. Help us to put you first and trust you to make up the difference for us and to give us much more than what the world can give us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.