Bill Johnson - Understanding the Purpose of God's Blessings
And the way you steward what God has given you—whether it’s a musical gift, a writing talent, mechanical skills, a medical profession, or the ability to raise children—doesn’t matter. What’s important is doing what God has called you to do with excellence, creativity, and integrity, as that prophesies something into culture and society, enabling you to influence multiple cities. I believe God is doing something significant in many places around the world; one such place is Redding. Why would God choose to do something significant in Redding, a city with a population of only 90,000? When an architect plans to build a significant structure, they create a model, and I believe the Lord is working in small places to prophesy into larger contexts. He aims to establish systems and cultural phenomena that can be translated and transported to other areas. One of my great ambitions is to be part of a city that loves God well, and we are working toward that. The heart of the Lord longs for a transformation of culture and society—it’s a phrase we often use. I hope it doesn’t wear thin because it won’t stop.
Our desire is to address the question: What do we do after we have everyone saved? We already know that problems remain. Just visit any of the many good churches in Redding. As long as there are people involved, there will be issues. The mandate we have now is to discover how Heaven functions, bring that reality here, and learn what that culture is like in order to emulate it. I believe the Lord is helping us with this. God aims to change how people think and view reality. The ambition of this series is to stir up a passion and value for divine wisdom. Wisdom is divine reasoning; it is actually thinking from God’s perspective. It is not merely the ability to solve riddles or explain complex matters but is literally how God perceives situations. I believe the Lord is releasing grace—wave after wave of grace—enabling us to learn how to do life in a practical, transferable manner. I believe that the Lord is raising up people to serve much more effectively.
I love it when I see people promoted. I wouldn’t say it wouldn’t be fun to see many of you promoted to positions like CEO of your corporation or manager of your restaurant or principal of your school. I celebrate every bit of that, but that’s never my ambition. My ambition is to enable everyone to serve well. If you come into promotion through service, don’t forget how you got there, because that way of serving enables you to remain effective. Your position of authority should never be about building a legacy for yourself; it is always about using the favor and authority God gives you to benefit those around you. In other words, you are in those positions of authority and influence to serve well and effectively.
I dream of seeing people promoted—honestly, raised up the ladder in politics, education, business, etc.—while maintaining the humility of heart necessary to serve at every level. The higher you rise, the more important humility becomes. You must intentionally look for ways to help, serve, and give pieces of your life to others. It becomes more crucial to serve intentionally, as you become further removed from the needs you are equipped to meet. Does that make sense? I feel there is a mandate on the house and really on the body of Christ for this because the Lord is doing such incredible transformational work.
We have a theology that is sound, but it falls short—a theology of generosity. Today, I want to discuss a theology of blessing. I mentioned this at our leaders' advance a few weeks ago, and I want to elaborate on it today. If we lack a theology of blessing, we inadvertently curse the poor by wishing for their prosperity. Throughout the years, especially in my earlier years, I have been exposed to the importance of generosity through some discipleship training. The absolute number one economic lesson I have learned is the significance of generosity. I was introduced to a lifestyle in which you forsake everything to follow Jesus, and I fully support that. However, as you read Scripture, you find that Jesus tells His disciples, who left everything behind, that they will receive a hundredfold in this life. In other words, that’s only half the equation. We have to know how to give everything so that we know how to steward well once God pours blessings back into our lives.
There is a responsibility in learning stewardship and management. Sometimes it is easier to give than to manage. My inclination in life is giving; I’ve loved it since childhood. I just remember how much joy I found in giving things away; it has always been a source of recreation for me. I feel strongly about this, which is why I’ve been talking in our school and with leaders when I travel, emphasizing this subject. We have no right to expect to disciple nations if we don’t understand the law of blessing. If we do not grasp what it means to live in the realm of blessing without building a materialistic empire, we will miss the mark.
I dislike the teaching that equates wealth in your bank account or possessions with your spirituality. That’s a lie! We cannot equate poverty as a sign of spirituality either. When you react to one error, you often create another error. This notion that going without is an illustration of a pure and sanctified life is completely false. We must address these ideas to properly disciple nations. If we cannot steward blessing, we are unqualified to disciple cities into realms where God can bring great abundance.
Here’s the challenge—are you with me? Five of you are, and that’s really all I need! I’m happy to work with five. There are specific aspects of our faith that we understand well, such as the importance of generosity. Ben and I have been married for 40 years—thank you, Jesus! Throughout our marriage, we have never given less than 20 percent of our income. We have always positioned ourselves to be extreme in our giving, willing to give away prized possessions or valuable things we saved up for. We hold onto everything loosely.
However, what I’ve found recently is that I have had to train myself not to give, which may sound strange. Sometimes I discovered it was easier to give something away than to manage it properly. I believe that in this next season, the Lord will teach us to manage what He gives us well.
Can I ask you a question? This is not a trick question, so don’t worry—can you love people more than God? Yes. You can love people more than God. That’s why the Lord says we should love Him first. So, you can love people more than God, but does that give us the right to abuse, neglect, or be indifferent to them in order to protect our love for God? You’re doing well! Some of you might be nervous to answer, but you’ve done great.
Can you love possessions more than God? Yes. Is it possible that unless I learn how to steward well the material things entrusted to me, I can never fully express my passion or love for God? I didn’t expect such a zealous response. That’s all right. I believe the Lord has called us to learn to do life practically as unto the Lord. Israel had an advantage over the church in that they culturally understood that work was worship. We tend to think of worship as something that occurs on Sunday mornings during music led by our incredible worship teams. It is worship, and I never want to change that. However, they understood that worship extended beyond the hour we spend together singing songs and declaring God’s greatness; it was the expression of life that conferred worth to Him.
Whatever your hands find to do, do that as unto the Lord. When work becomes worship, we succeed in eliminating the divide between the secular and the sacred. We have made strides in recognizing the equal value of nurses, dentists, housewives, mechanics, and those in ministry roles. Every believer is a minister unto the Lord and to people. If we can grasp that work is an extension of our worship, we can erase the lingering divide in our hearts and minds.
Why is this important? For many reasons, but one is that fire always falls on sacrifice. Imagine countless people infiltrating the city, offering their work hour by hour to God. The work of a mechanic fixing a car is sacred. This is significant—it’s why they would take aprons and headbands worn by Paul to the demonized, bringing healing and deliverance. This illustrates that mundane labor, when sanctified, brings about transformation.
When it says in the prophets that they turned their plowshares into swords, it creates a prophetic image of agricultural tools becoming military instruments for eternal change. The Lord desires to take the gifts of everyone in this room and position them as expressions of worship. When that occurs, worship invites the presence of God into the workplace, removing the divide that separates the sacred and the secular.
If we succeed in erasing that line, we can also successfully dismantle the barrier between «us» and «them.» The «us and them» mentality renders individuals as projects rather than the true targets of affection and love. The Lord is calling us toward an expression of divine wisdom, modelled after Solomon, which illustrates how communities do life together.
I feel this series is so vast that we could explore it for 100 more weeks. There are insights into wisdom as they apply to finances, relationships, work, self-respect, and how we manage our self-concept. All these matters intertwine in the concept of wisdom. Here at our church, we frequently discuss honor and a culture of honor. It’s vital to us; we seek ways to express honor where it’s due.
Did you know that honor is simply another expression of excellence? Wisdom manifests in three primary ways: excellence, creativity, and integrity. Throughout the Book of Proverbs, you will see these three themes repeatedly as Solomon teaches us how to navigate daily life. Wisdom is to be desired more than riches.
How do we know if we have truly valued wisdom more than wealth? The only way to know is if we have paid a price for it—if we have committed to something that costs us. The Bible is filled with paradoxes: it’s better to be poor and wise than rich and foolish. Yet, if you are wise, you will attract great resources and wealth. The choice for wisdom leads to an eventual reward of richness.
The paradox exemplifies that going without trains us in trust. The issue is not what you have but how much it takes to remove trust from your life. For one person, it could be $100; for another, it could be $10 million. What matters is that the Lord desires that nothing else takes the place of our trust in Him.
Let’s turn to Second Chronicles chapter nine. As we begin, I want to mention an aspect of our theology that we seem to grasp well, alongside generosity: we understand the value of humility. Remember the verse: «Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God; He will exalt you in due time.» We love to see people humble themselves before God, but we’re not thrilled when God exalts them.
Do you recall the verse: «Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you»? We love it when people pursue God’s kingdom, but we aren’t as excited when «all things» are added to them. Is anyone here with me? The point I want to make is that we need a theology that covers both sides of the process. Without understanding the purpose of blessing and increase, we risk moving into materialistic kingdoms or miss the distinction between seed and bread.
The Bible teaches that God provides both seed for sowing and bread for eating. If we were corn farmers, we would need to save a portion of our harvest to plant for the next year, while the rest is for consumption. It’s a metaphor for giving: our generosity today is like planting seeds for tomorrow’s harvest.
Today, I am enjoying a bounty that I planted seeds for decades ago. We have seed for planting and bread for eating, but it is foolish to consume your seed because that’s tomorrow’s crop. It’s equally foolish to plant your bread. I’ve learned how to manage things in my life, recognizing that I need to hold onto what God has given me wisely—not for the sake of building a materialistic empire, but to steward it well.
Let’s look at Second Chronicles 9 together. Are you all doing okay? Fantastic! Verse 2 discusses the visit from the Queen of Sheba, who came to test Solomon with questions. Solomon answered all her queries; there was nothing so difficult that he could not explain. When the Queen saw Solomon’s wisdom and how he had built his house, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, their apparel, the cupbearers and their apparel, and the entryway through which he went into the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit left in her.
I know I’ve talked about verse 4 in the past, but let me mention it again for those joining us today. Each of the items noted—plates, apparel, stairway—are mundane, everyday aspects that wisdom touched. I believe everyone in this room possesses divine wisdom, granting us the ability to display creativity in everyday life. The Lord is not seeking people to create something entirely new like the next iPhone; He wants us to take what already exists and add our creative touch, bringing silence to a world craving it.
Here in verse 5, the Queen remarks to the king about all her inquiries and how it was true what she had heard about his wisdom. She did not believe the accounts until she saw them firsthand, and now she proclaims that the half of his greatness was not told to her. She declares, «Happy are your men, happy are these servants who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you and set you on His throne to be king.»
She recognizes that God made Solomon king so that he could do righteousness and justice. Jump to verse 20, where it states that silver was not accounted as anything during Solomon’s reign. In verse 22, we read: «So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in wisdom and riches.»
I believe the challenge set before us, not just in this season but over the next few years, is for us to focus on stewarding three realms: His resources, His favor, and His authority. If we can learn to steward these realms effectively, He will continuously place us in positions to influence, to be a flavor that enhances life at the community level—whether that’s for California or wherever you are from.
There are inherent attributes placed in every community, county, and nation that need to be enhanced with a little salt. That is your job and mine. We are not the origin of everything; we are not the answer to every problem, but we add flavor and bring out the significance that God has already instilled in society.
Learning to steward these three realms is critical. How do you steward resources? Firstly, through generosity. Secondly, consider how you maintain your home or due diligence in caring for the possessions entrusted to you. This stewardship can prophesy to your neighbors. Just throwing money at an issue does not equate to excellence. Gold toilets do not define excellence. In some places, that may seem extravagant, but true excellence does not sacrifice beauty for a purpose.
Beauty indeed matters. The time our team invests in music, the effort that goes into decorating, and the subtleties in design are all matters of excellence. This is foundational to who we are. Remember, beauty stems from restoration. In Isaiah 61, we see that the Lord turns ashes into beauty and empowers those who experience restoration to rebuild cities.
Imagine what kind of city they will rebuild—one that is intentional and filled with beauty and excellence. That is the heart of God. It is not about merely seeing people saved so Jesus can return and rescue us from the devil. Though, yes, sin is detrimental and the devil is evil, Jesus is so much greater—He is not the competitor among them!
The Gospel represents an answer and a solution. God cares about how cities are run; He cares about your business more than you do; He cares about your family life. He is the great Restorer! Whether He restores lost watches, how much more will He restore lost family members?
He is the God who proclaims His nature into our hearts year after year. A community is forming that believes God has solutions for every problem facing a city or nation. This is the reformer’s pledge—embracing a lifestyle of wisdom that acknowledges, «I don’t have the answer, but I know Someone who does,» and actively participates in reformational influence that brings healing and the rebuilding of cities until Jesus is revealed in the beauty, splendor, and order of how a community operates.
This is your privilege—the Queen of Sheba prophesies over Solomon, affirming his position set by God for the benefit of the people. This is powerful.
In conclusion, consider the verses we discussed earlier. They highlight that the Lord delights in Solomon, granting him favor and authority not for his sake but for the people of Israel. Therefore, this means every favor and authority placed upon us must extend beyond ourselves; it is never meant to culminate in us. Favor must reach someone else to serve its purpose.
There will be times when God pours something into you for the sake of someone else. That is the essence of favor and authority. Remember, authority is never meant for building your empire; it has a purpose—to serve others.
Let’s pray. Father, thank You for assigning us tasks that far surpass our capabilities. We come before You with heightened awareness of our need for Your voice, Your heartbeat, and Your wisdom. We desperately need wisdom. I pray for that grace—help us discern between seed and bread. Teach us how to enjoy what You supply in our lives as an act of worship to You.
May we construct a genuine theology of blessing, one that does not permit materialism but rather acknowledges the purpose of everything You do. I pray this in Jesus' name.