Often we hear of people who claim that they have cracked some sort of biblical money code. We hear of men who say that if we just follow their principles, they can have their best life now. We have heard it said that Christ died so that they may prosper. We have heard that God has a wonderful plan for your life, if only you would apply yourself. Well it is true. There are a few steps in the Bible to become rich beyond your wildest dreams. God will bless you abundantly, and you will see God’s “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Here are the steps that you need to complete to receive God’s abundance.
1 – Be conformed to the image of the Son. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a perfect and sinless life. When he died, all of the wrath of God that we deserve went out upon him. He absorbed our punishment (1 John 2:2). Since God is a righteous and holy God, he cannot have sin in his sight and must punish us by sending us to Hell (Romans 1:18). But Christ absorbed that punishment in full on the cross. Three days later he rose from the dead (Matthew 28) and is seated at the right hand of power (Mark 14:62). Now if you repent of your sin and trust in Christ’s sacrifice (Mark 1:15), you will be “conformed to the image of the Son.” (Romans 8:29) You will stand before God as though you had never sinned.
2 – Be born again. But being conformed to the image of the Son is not just something that we can see in the spiritual realm. We see it also here. When it happens, you will be made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sin that you once loved, you will now hate. You will strive to bring forth fruit of righteousness and the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). God will literally make you a new creature. You will leave everything that you love behind and love Christ more than anything in your life. Christ will be absolutely everything to you. That is what it means to be born again (John 3:3-8).
3 – Sell all of your possessions and give the money to the poor. There are people on the street tonight who are hungry, thirsty, who are cold and without shelter. There are people who desperately need money. You do not have any money. But you have things worth money. Go, sell those possessions. Give the money to those people. Do not tell anybody about it. The Father will reward you in eternity for everything you have given up for his sake (Mark 10:29-30).
4 – Carry your cross and allow them to execute you. People will hate you because you are a Christian (John 15:18). Your family will hate you because of your beliefs (Matthew 10:35). But for the sake of Christ, you must endure. You must do what the God of the universe commands that you do. When persecution and trouble comes, you must stand firmly because you have built your foundation upon the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 7:24). When they want to murder you for your faith, carry your cross and with your dying breath, tell them the gospel of our Lord.
5 – Reap eternal life. Eternal life is not a reward for any good thing that you have done. You will have eternal life purely because of the grace of God through the atonement of his Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). That is why you have right standing with God. But if you follow the biblical formula that I have laid out, you will receive unimaginable abundance and wealth with God. God will prosper you in this way, which is precisely what Jeremiah meant by writing that God “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). As Paul Washer said: Christ promises you two things. A cross to die on and eternal life.
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