Right Before God Brings You Wealth, These Things Must Happen
In this sermon, Jeremiah Tipton addresses Christians who are struggling financially, urging them to move beyond two extreme views—seeing money as sinful or making Christianity a money‑making enterprise—and to adopt a biblically balanced perspective. He begins with Philippians 4:11‑12, illustrating Paul’s contentment in both lack and abundance, and shares his own early‑marriage financial hardships, including missed bills and feelings of failure. Tipton defines true prosperity as having one’s needs met plus enough left over to help others, rejecting the notion that poverty is virtuous or wealth is inherently sinful. He warns against greed (1 Tim 6:9‑10; 1 Tim 6:17‑18) and emphasizes that wealth should be used for good works. The core of the message is three‑fold: (1) Generosity—rooted in 2 Cor 9:6‑15, where cheerful giving unlocks God’s provision; (2) Stewardship—illustrated by the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14‑30), showing that faithful management leads to increased responsibility; (3) Faithfulness—persistent, long‑term obedience (Gal 6:9) that sustains both generosity and stewardship. He critiques superficial generosity without responsible budgeting, urging listeners to track expenses, avoid debt, work diligently, and maintain discipline. Practical steps include budgeting, knowing income vs. outgo, and eliminating unnecessary spending. The sermon concludes with a prayer for wisdom, repentance for poor stewardship, and a call to support the ministry through monthly or one‑time donations via davidhernandezministries.com, linking the teaching to actionable generosity.
Chapters
I want to talk to you about finances. Maybe you're in a place in life where finances are a big struggle for you. You're worried, you're frustrated, you feel like you're missing opportunities, you feel like time is just passing you by, all the while you're just sitting there wondering when all of this struggling is going to finally end. I want to encourage you, first of all, to remember that God is with you no matter what you're facing. And when it comes to finances, I believe that there are some extremes that Christians need to get past before they can get to the biblical foundation. On one side, we have Christians who think that if you talk about money, take offerings, or desire to be blessed financially, that that somehow is sinful. We know that's not biblical at all. And then on the other side, we have Christians who make their entire Christianity about money and what they can gain. And we know that's not the central message of the gospel. It's about biblical balance. But remember, it's not as bad as you think it is. God can do anything. And so let's begin by looking at Philippians chapter 4, Verses 11 and 12. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. So Paul the Apostle is contrasting the 2 different lifestyles that he would live. So he knew what it was to live with lack, and he knew what it was to live with abundance. In fact, there are times in my life that I can look back and see struggle. Jess and I, for the first couple of years of our marriage, we had struggles financially. And there were times when we would be giving to the Lord's work and praying for a miracle. In fact, I believe that if you have a need, you got to sow a seed. That's part of what it takes to see a financial breakthrough. We'll get to those in just a moment. But I'm telling you, I remember sitting at the dining table, looking over the bills, And just wondering how we were gonna pay it all. And there was a time where we had to choose which bills we were gonna pay when. We had to decide, okay, which one are we gonna be late on? Because there's just not enough coming in to cover everything. And I was frustrated. I felt like I was failing as the leader of our home. I felt like I was failing as a man of God. I felt like I was failing just as a human being, not being able to contribute, not being able to just pay for the basics of life, or maybe take my wife out to a simple restaurant for date night. These were things that went through my mind. I allowed myself for a season there to come to the place where I was just dismayed, right? Like, I didn't think that ever there would be a day when I would see financial fruitfulness. And today I can tell you, as a testimony to God's faithfulness, that I do live with financial fruitfulness. The needs are met, and we're actually able to help other people out too. In fact, that's what I believe the definition of prosperity is, where your needs are met, and you have enough leftover to take care of others. Poverty is not a virtue and wealth is not a vice. And think about it, if poverty is a virtue and wealth is a vice, why is there so much abundance in heaven? Why is there so much wealth in heaven? Think about Abraham. He was very wealthy, yet he was a friend of God. Think of Joseph of Arimathea. He was a wealthy disciple of Jesus. That is a New Testament disciple of Jesus. who was wealthy. Think about the culture of heaven. Now, often we quote scriptures like this, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, but people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. So here's a good warning for you. Don't allow greed to consume you. That's biblical. But jump down now to verse 17. Look what the scripture says. Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. So not just our basic needs, but he gives us what we need so that we can enjoy the life that he's blessed us with. Now verse 18, we see the instruction, tell them to use their money to do good. Some might say, what about the rich young ruler? Didn't Jesus tell him to give up everything? Yes, but remember, prescriptive, descriptive. For that specific individual, that was the command because that's what God was requiring of him at that time. But here we don't see such a command. What do we see? Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this, they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. So that resource that God gave them, those resources that God gave to them can be used for good. And that should be the motivation for believers, not so that we can consume things on our own lust, but so that we can help others. Proverbs 10:22 says, the blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, And he adds no sorrow with it. Yes, the Bible's filled with warnings. Woe to those who are rich. You know why? Because they're proud and they trust in their riches, because they're filled with greed and that's all they care about. Think about also the fact that wisdom produces wealth. Well, if wisdom, which is godly, produces wealth, how can the result thereof be evil? It's okay to have wealth as long as wealth doesn't have you. Listen, as wisdom calls out, Hear as understanding raises her voice. Verse 17, I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. This is speaking of wisdom. I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. So let's take a look at this first key, this first key to financial fruitfulness. Number 1, it's generosity. Now in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Paul the Apostle is taking an offering. So that's the context we're reading here. This is specifically about finances. Remember this, a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give, and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need, Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. Now pause there for a second. I want you to read that again, verse 8. And God will generously provide all you need. So there, your needs are met. Then you will always have everything you need. There's the baseline. And plenty left over to share with others. I referenced this earlier, but that to me is the definition of prosperity. My needs are met, and I can help you pay for your groceries. My needs are met, and the brother or sister who had their car break down can be blessed by you paying for their car to be fixed. Your needs are met, and you can give to that local church, that ministry. That's what prosperity is. That's the power of generosity, that as you sow, you reap. Now, why does this work? It's not some magic formula that you put in $10 and $100 is coming back to you in 30 days. I don't think that's the way it works at all. Rather, I think this has to do with stewardship, in part. I think generosity is a form of stewardship. I think that as you give, the Lord takes notice of that. And in fact, becoming a generous person does something to your character. It does something to you. Generosity causes you to become someone who can be entrusted with more. Matthew 6:21 says, wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also. Now I'm all for the practical, and I'm gonna give you key number 2 in a moment, and it's very practical, but the practical without the supernatural, that's no way to live the Christian life. There is something supernatural about when we give. That's why the enemy attacks the message of giving so much. Because he understands, the enemy understands that as you give, you're funding the kingdom. And as you give, you yourself are becoming someone who can be entrusted with more. Now, if you cannot be generous with what you have now, how are you supposed to be trusted with more? You see, we say, Father, bless me and I'll start to give. But God says, start to give and I'll bless you. Faith acts before it sees. If you want God to bless your finances, you have to let your finances bless Him. You can't expect more if you're not generous with what you have right now. Even the widow with just her 2 mites, she gave all that she had. Jesus didn't stop her and say, wait a minute, no, you shouldn't be giving. He praised her for her generosity, because she gave even out of her need. Now, it might sound virtuous to say otherwise. It might make someone seem like the good guy if they say, no, you don't have to give in that situation, but this is a tough love situation. I'm telling you this because I love you. This is the truth. Even in struggle, you have to give. Now, I'm not saying it has to be everything. I'm not saying you have to be irresponsible. What did Paul write? Paul wrote very plainly that don't give in response to pressure, don't give reluctantly, give as the Lord leads you, but do give. So that's where we have to have that biblical balance. And by the way, if this is challenging you and you think the body of Christ needs to recapture this revelation of generosity, of financial fruitfulness, if you think the body of Christ needs to come back to a biblical balance on this topic, make sure to leave a like on the video right now. And also, if you wanna continue to receive teachings that will encourage and challenge you, Make sure you subscribe to my channel right now and click the notification bell when you subscribe so that you can actually get notified of when the videos come out. Number 2, I wanna talk to you about stewardship. Stewardship is taking care of what you have, recognizing that it belongs to God. Stewardship is being responsible with what you have been given. Here's a principle of stewardship, Matthew 25:45. We'll start at verse 14. Again, the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave 5 bags of silver to one, 2 bags of silver to another, and 1 bag of silver to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. The first servant who received the 5 bags of silver began to invest the money and earn 5 more. The servant with 2 bags of silver also went to work and earned 2 more. But the servant who received the 1 bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money. After a long time, their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the 5 bags of silver came forward with 5 more and said, Master, you gave me 5 bags of silver to invest, and I have earned 5 more. The master was full of praise. Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling the small amount. So now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together. So look there, when you're responsible with what God gave you, he can then increase you. The servant who had received 2 bags of silver came forward and said, Master, you gave me 2 bags of silver to invest, and I have earned 2 more. The master said, well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling the small amount. So now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together. Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back. But the master replied, You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn't plant and gathered crops I didn't cultivate, Why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it. Then he ordered, take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the 10 bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Okay, in context here, we're not just talking about resources, though he gave them bags of silver. We're talking about stewardship. We're talking about how God rewards those who take care of what they have. And now I want to be very direct with you here. I think that one of the mistakes that we as the church make is sometimes we overemphasize the concept of generosity while failing to address the principle of stewardship. What I mean by that is, maybe you're frustrated because you're a giver, but you're still not seeing results in your finances. Well, that's because generosity is just one component of financial fruitfulness. The other component is good stewardship. Are you responsible with the money God's placed in your hands? And sometimes bad stewardship can lead you to withhold in generosity because you've so messed up your finances, that you say, well, now I can't support. Or maybe, maybe you're in a tight place. And because you wanna impress others, you buy things that you don't need. Now, I'm not saying this is everyone, but if the Holy Spirit's speaking to you, you need to receive this correction because it's not just about generosity. In fact, if you're giving generously, but being irresponsible with your resources, then it's like being in a lifeboat while drilling holes in the boat. You're gonna let water leak in. Are there holes in your boat? You may give, give, give, and no matter how God increases you, it may not matter. Because let's just say, for example, you're stewarding $50,000 a year, and you're giving off that $50,000 a year, your tithe or offering, whatever it is that you're giving to your local church or to a ministry. and you're sowing, sowing, sowing, and you're saying, Lord, increase me, but your spending habits are so irresponsible that you're under poverty in that $50,000, then even if God increases you to $100,000 a year, you're gonna increase the level of spending. Now look, I understand, and let me balance this, that there are some who are struggling because of circumstances outside of their control. A health issue, an accident, loss of a job. Maybe your spouse left you and you're left to try to put the pieces together. There are things that happen that put you in that position. That's true. But I'm speaking of those instances where we're irresponsible while blaming the devil. We're saying, oh, the devil's attacking my finances, yet you're going out to eat every day and putting it on the credit card. Oh, the devil's attacking my finances. But you're buying tech and devices and TVs and furniture. I'm telling you like it is. And so you can be generous. Yeah, sure. And God may increase you, but the struggle is gonna remain unless you become a good steward. There's another saying that goes, if your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall. Just discipline. Just say no to the flesh. Stop spending money on things that you don't need. Stop spending money that has an interest rate. How are you taking care of the resources that God has given you? And yes, there may be very little resources, but you should still take care of them. You should still plan as best that you can. Do what's in your ability to take care of what you have and then trust God to bring the increase. But if you don't ever get your books in order, if you don't even know what your expenses are, Getting real practical now. You don't even know what your expenses are. You don't even really know what your general income is month to month. You kind of go from day to day, not really wanting to look at it. And sometimes what happens is people don't even want to look at their finances 'cause they're afraid of what they'll find. But you gotta face the truth. You gotta get things in order. God is a God of order. Glory rests on order. And glory attracts abundance. Stewardship, manage well what you have. Oh, and before I get into point number 3, this isn't in my notes, it's the Holy Spirit. Part of good stewardship is working. This might be something you need to hear. Get a job, work hard, not just manual labor, if that's what you do, But focus, focus your mind, apply the mind, stop zoning out, stop just disassociating, stop just floating with your head in the clouds, get focused on the work, apply yourself, do everything as unto the Lord. That's part of good stewardship. And I thought I'd just throw that in there. Okay, number 3, faithfulness, faithfulness. Galatians 6:9 says, so let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. This is a spiritual principle. If you keep on doing what is right, you keep sowing the seeds, you keep being a good steward of your finances, eventually you will begin to see that turnaround, but you have to do all 3. If you're just giving but poorly managing your money, it's not gonna work. If you're just managing your money, but you're not giving, there's not gonna be a supernatural touch on your finances. And if you're doing those 2 things, but for a short period of time, it's not gonna work either. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of people who say, well, you know, I started managing my finances and I was stewarding them well for just a couple of weeks. 'Cause I work with a lot of young men, discipling them, trying to, help them in various aspects of their life. And often I'll see, they'll get their finances in order, we'll sit down, I'll go over their books with them, and they'll do well for 2, 3 weeks, and then they fall right back into the old habits. Well, that's not faithfulness. Or maybe they become a giver, and they're sowing, and then they just go, you know what, maybe for this season, I'll just hold back and I'll wait and I'll see what comes next. That's not faithfulness. Faithfulness is good stewardship and generosity over a long period of time. Don't just try it for a month or two and then say, well, it didn't work for me. Let God be true and every man a liar. Generosity brings increase. Good stewardship plugs up the leaks so that there's nothing escaping. And now you apply all of these and you will begin to see that turnaround. Now, don't start and stop and start and stop. Make the most of the time. It's like a train. A train gains its speed through gaining momentum. But if a train were to start, stop, change directions, then start, stop, change directions again, it would never gain its momentum. Be that train that just moves forward. Be that train that keeps going and slowly begins to gain momentum. Don't stop, don't slow down, don't change directions. Generosity and good stewardship. Some people begin to sow into ministries, and after only a few months, they stop because their financial situation doesn't seem to be getting blessed. Or they may practice managing their finances for just a couple of weeks and then fall into old habits. But what God blesses is long-term generosity and stewardship. Father, help them to do it. And I pray, Lord, that you would give them the wisdom needed for good stewardship. Help them to subject the cravings of the flesh, that they might be disciplined in the handling of their finances. And Lord, I pray that you would soften the heart of those who have withheld from giving. Convict them, Lord, and then cause them to weep walk in the blessing of generosity. Father, we repent for being poor stewards. We repent for withholding. Help us to do both with faithfulness, consistency. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. And Lord, bring miracles to them, financial miracles, job promotions, and the breaking of debt. Miracles in the name of Jesus. I want you to type it in the comment section. If you agree, type amen. Well, here's an opportunity to put into practice what you just learned: generosity. You can become a monthly supporter of this ministry by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. Consider a monthly gift that's right for you and your situation. Just go right now, davidhernandezministries.com/partner. And look at the various different monthly options that we have. You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Maybe you're someone who's struggling, or you're praying for that breakthrough, you're praying for that miracle, practice that generosity now, do as the Holy Spirit leads you. Maybe you're someone that God has blessed with great resources, it's time to begin to release in proportion to how God has blessed you. And you can do that now. Again, monthly gifts, go to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. You can give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Now, if you appreciated this message, you're gonna like my teaching, If You're Facing These Trials, Your Blessing Is Within Reach. And I talk about the various different tests that God will put you through before the fulfillment of the dream, and it's closer than you think.
