God is the source of our abundance; amen?  So I think that became very obvious.  It’s the Lord that gives us power to obtain wealth that we might establish His covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18).  We saw what establishing the covenant consisted of:  that it had to do with the administering the gospel, providing the gospel to the world, go into all the world and preach this gospel and the end will come, and we’re using these finances for the purpose of promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We saw that this prosperity that God puts into our lives is for the purpose of sustaining the church and keeping this community strong that we could raise up another generation, should the Lord tarry; amen?  So, these are things that this abundance that Father gives us provide for.  We saw that there was never a greater spirit of giving and worship than there was in the two representations of building the tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple.  A people’s love for the house of God for the place where He’s chosen to put His name!  And that’s why over the years, as we’ve done different major types of refreshing in and the enhancing of the house of God that we’re able to give then, and you as a people giving abundantly and giving as unto the Lord, praise God!  But that’s part of what our abundance is for.  We need to examine our hearts when our homes are nicer than God’s home.  And the prophets spoke about that rebellious spirit and living in ceiled houses, and the house of God is in disarray (a reference to Haggai 1:2-4).  So, these are things that we look at, as we look at why God is prospering us and certain things that we do when we use that phrase to establish His covenant.  We know that part—one of the great requirements as they left the Council of Jerusalem—one of the admonitions that came to them was “…remember the poor…” (Galatians 2:10).  We’re talking about setting up sound doctrine, and then He says, “And remember the poor.”  So, that’s one of the major parts of establishing His covenant, this ministering to the poor.  The church is never an oppressor of the poor.  The church never despises the poor.  The church doesn’t take the poor man and say, “Sit here at this rich man’s feet.”  We are all of equal value in God’s sight; amen? 

We left off in first Chronicles 29, and we saw David just rejoicing in God’s blessing him and his house, and he stood in amazement in humility that he was chosen by God.  Remember who he was, he was the least of the family, the youngest; amen?  He was the one that was found, watching the sheep out in the wilderness.  Sometimes we prosper, and we seem to think we deserve it.  And we saw in Deuteronomy 8, “Don’t forget Who it is that brought you in and blessed you and prospered you and gave you houses and lands—praise God—and drove the enemies out from before you, lest you think somehow that by your own hand, you’ve gained these riches” (verse 11-17).  You know, abundance begins to make you think you’re somebody.  I would encourage us to keep the heart of David and say, “Who am I that God would see fit to take somebody like me and prosper me beyond my imagination?”  And then that great statement made, “And all we’ve done is return back to you which you blessed us with,” the Scripture says (1 Chronicles 29:14).  We brought nothing into this world, and it’s guaranteed we’ll take nothing out.  Amen?  As it pertains to you and me, money is something that’s used in this life.  It said when you die and go, you have no idea what the people to whom you left that [money] are going to do with it.  How many second generations have squandered and third generations have squandered what somebody meant for good?  You’d be better off in a time like that to put it into the ministry, praise God, or to seek out faithful people and bless them.