That individuals who exercise true faith in Christ will surely attain physical, material, and financial prosperity in this life.
Healthy and Wealthy
Just have to have enough faith
Has 4 Main Components:
Jesus purchased all the benefits of salvation for this life
Complete healing for all his people
A present-day inheritance
vast material and financial inheritance for believers in this life
Give to get
quantity of material and financial prosperity one expects to gain is in proportion to what one gives
Name it and claim it
Faith and prayer empower people to lay hold of physical and material blessings in this life
At Its core…
The prosperity gospel targets their hearers’ desires for provision, position, and power. Instead of focusing on Christ, eternity, and the glory of God, they place an emphasis on living one’s “best life now.”
Why are we talking about this?
What does it have to do with me?
First…
Bad Theology has REAL CONSEQUENCES
Second…
Many Christians fall prey to the prosperity gospel, believing in false promises and feeling crushed when God seems to fail them.
So I have 1 main point today…
Scripture says what it means to say, not what we want it to say
<Illustration>
Telephone Game
“My favorite flower is a rose.”
“Mary has a big nose!”
We don’t get to go to the Bible and say… “WELL, I THINK IT MEANS…“
Not how it works
If it did, we could make it mean ANYTHING!
How do we find out what the Biblical authors were meaning to say?
Biblical Hermeneutics
Art/science of Biblical understanding and application
2 Timothy 2:15
15 Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.
We don’t have to figure all this out on our own…
We stand on a rich history of FAITHFUL and CAREFUL study of scripture throughout the last 2000 years that helps us understand and apply God’s truth in Scripture
Hermeneutical Method
1. Understanding the historical and cultural context and Setting
CONTEXT IS KING
Things to keep in mind are…
Who wrote the book?
When was the book written?
What group was the book address?
What is the purpose or theme of the book?
Tips for understanding the historical/cultural context
Get a study Bible that has an introduction about the history and summary of each book and helpful breakdowns throughout
Use The Bible Project Videos to get an overview before reading a specific book
2. Understanding the Literary Style
<Example>
Statement vs sarcasm
– “That was so nice…”
What are the different literary styles we find in the Bible?
Narrative: I & II Kings, I & II Samuel, I & II Chronicles
Law: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
Poetry: Psalms, Song of Solomon
Prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Micah
Wisdom: Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs
Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Parables: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Letter: Ephesians, Philemon, Titus
Apocalyptic: Daniel, Revelation
Depending on the styles causes us to change how we read and interpret scripture
Something that is figurative but taken literary is wrong; something literal taken figuratively is wrong
3. Making Observations (The surrounding Context)
<Example>
I find inspiration in cooking my family and my dog.
I find inspiration in cooking, my family, and my dog.
>>After being asked what helped her become a successful chef, Kim answered, “I find inspiration in cooking, my family, and my dog.”
>>When asked about his lengthy prison sentence, Gary said, “I find inspiration in cooking my family and my dog.”
The surrounding context matters…
We don’t just get to pull verses out and not take care of what else is being said
The Bible is NOT TWITTER
Careful with “VERSE OF THE DAY” Theology
4. Drawing applications
How it Affects Me, us, Our Time in History
What are the universal Principles being communicated?
How does this Biblical truth cross over time and history?
<Example>
David and Goliath
Don’t go hitting people you don’t like with slingshots
We’re not the hero; David is pointing to the greater hero, JESUS
How do we do this?
Let’s look at a common verse used in PROSPERITY TEACHING
Get out your Bible if you have it
Romans 8:28
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
1: Context and Setting
Paul is writing Christians in Rome
Church had existed for some time
Both Jew and non-Jew Christians
Important to know:
Church was in Crisis… Emporer Claudius had expelled All Jewish people from Rome for a time
Approx 5 years later, they were allowed back
Church had become significantly more “gentile”
But most early Christians were Jewish (The Apostles were all Jew, as well as Paul)
Caused a significant culture clash
They disagreed about:
How to follow Jesus
The Sabbath
Jewish customs
Food (Kosher)
Circumcision
Etc
So we ask our content questions:
Who wrote the book? — Paul
When was the book written? — Near the end of his life
What group was the book address? — Christians in Rome (Jews and Gentiles)
What is the purpose or theme of the book?
To bring unity to a divided Church
To help the Roman church become the launch point of his ministry further west
2: Style
Romans is a LETTER of instruction and encouragement
The Letter has four (4) main movements that come together as Paul’s most extensive exploration and explanation of the nature of God’s salvation of man:
God’s Righteousness (Rom 1-4)
Salvation creates a New Humanity (Rom 5-8)
Jesus is the fulfilling of God’s Promise to Israel (Rom 9-11)
The gospel Alone can unify the Church (Rom 12-16)
3: Observation and content
The whole section is about Salvation Creating a New Humanity
The solutions to mankind’s problems have arrived through Jesus
Are now carried out through the Holy Spirit
Romans 8
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
4: Application
What is the “GOOD” that Paul is talking about?
This is the part that causes the most issues
Good is not Specifically…
You will have the job you want
the car you want
the family dynamics you want
anything you want
In light of what Paul is teaching us…
The Good is:
Becoming more like Christ
In our suffering
In our Pain
In our Struggles
To trust our Father even though all seems lost or dark
To have hope in the toughest storms
To have peace in the most turbulent moment
To not give us and race to the prize of Glory
Righteousness
To be an example of God’s love in this broken world
To love even those who persecute you
to not return evil for evil
To sacrifice even if there is no prospect of return to you
So trust God:
In your Pain
In your suffering
When you don’t understand
When you feel like you can’t keep Going
God has:
Chosen you
Redeemed you
Called you
Anointed you for Good works
Has purpose for you
When all seems lost, or it feels like it is too much to bear, or there is so much brokenness/evil in the world, KEEP READING…
Romans 8:31
31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
In Closing…
Scripture says what it means to say, not what we want it to say