John Hagee - Jerusalem: The City Of Peace
Everything that's dear to Christianity has its roots in Jerusalem, including unstoppable prosperity. Say those two words: "Unstoppable prosperity". How many of you would like to experience unstoppable prosperity? It all begins with you and the Lord making up your mind. And it all started in Jerusalem. Read Psalms 122. "I was glad when they said unto me, 'let us go to the house of the Lord.'" "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls".
Father God, I ask that you pour out the prosperity upon the righteous. And for those who are hearing this teaching message today, that they will discover the path to perfect wealth on this side of the Jordan river and the other, as investing in the Kingdom of God. And all of God's children said, amen.
You may be seated. The principles of righteousness and the principles of prosperity began with Abraham, the father of all who believe. I want you to hear that very clearly. Abraham is the father, the spiritual father, of all who believe. In Genesis 13:2, "Abraham was very rich". The Bible says that. "Abraham was very rich, in livestock, in silver and gold". And may I suggest that those three are still real good investments today. It was Abraham's primary principles in achieving unstoppable wealth. Here's the story, and it starts in Salem, Genesis 14:18. "Salem" is the first mention of the city of Jeru-Salem, because "Salem" means peace, as does Jerusalem.
The story is that Abraham was camped Mamre, not far from Hebron. And the kings of the east had captured Lot and his family. Abraham heard that his relatives had been kidnapped, and Abraham armed 318 of his men, and he went to fight the kings of the east to rescue his family. Listen. If Abraham had 318 men that he could arm, they had wives and children, so Abraham had an entourage of six to 700 people there, living proof that he had a thriving cattle business. And for those of you who have a thriving cattle business, keep after it, because I understand beef is going up. Abraham waited until night, and he divided his forces into two groups. This is all in the Bible. He attacked the kings of the east from two directions, and he wiped them out. Abraham was the father of the IDF. That's the Israeli Defense Forces. Abraham was the first one to pull a nighttime operation.
He gathered the rich spoils of war, and he returned to Jerusalem where Melchizedek, the king of Salem, received them. According to Hebrews 7:1 and 3, Melchizedek was a supernatural being made in the image of God, who brought wine and bread to have communion with Abraham. Communion did not begin in the upper room. It begins right here in the book of Genesis. Melchizedek is a mysterious character, but he is a representative of the Kingdom of God. What was the first thing Abraham did after he took communion after he won this great victory? Genesis 14:20 says, "And he", Abraham, "gave Melchizedek the tithe of all". Say the word with me, "all". All of the treasure he captured from the kings of the east, and it was a small fortune.
What is the tithe? It's 10% of what God has given to you. You say, "Preacher, do you expect me to give God 10% of what I make"? I said, "No, I don't, but God does. I'm in sales: he's in management". What does he manage? He manages your income. He manages your next breath. He manages your heartbeat, your mother-in-law, and businesses. And if you want to tick him off, be my guest. But I am telling you exactly what the Bible says. The God who controls all the wealth on the earth says in Malachi 3, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and try me now". Say that with me. "Try me now". God is saying to the unbeliever in the tithing principle, "I dare you to try me. Try this. And see if you will not prosper exceedingly, abundantly, above anything you've ever experienced before. See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out on you," this is the Word of God. "Pour out on you such blessings, there is not room enough to contain it".
How many of you would like to have so many blessings you just have to scratch your head, thinking about what to do with all these good things with God? That's about a half a dozen of you. God Almighty, who controls all the wealth in the world, challenges you to try him. God loves to see people prosper. Abraham was prosperous, prosperous. The Bible uses these exact words, "He was very rich". Now, I know that some of you who came out of a certain denomination, who heard the doctrine of Papini was the doctrine of poverty, Jesus was poor, and you're poor, and you're like Jesus. That's pure bunk. That's not anywhere close to truth. David was very wealthy. Solomon was one of the richest men in the world. He built the temple for the Lord, that if it was rebuilt, would cost over $2 billion to build it.
Jesus of Nazareth had the gold that kings from the east brought him when he was born. In the Bible, he had a house. He had a money manager. That guy's name was Judas. You don't have a money manager if you're broke all the time. So get over that doctrine of poverty and recognize it is God's will for you to prosper. Psalms 35:27, "Let the Lord be magnified," listen, "who has pleasure in the prosperity of his people". God wants to see you prosper. The Bible says God will teach you how to prosper. Isaiah 48:17, "I am the Lord your God that teaches you how to prosper". That's in the Bible. Matthew 6:19, "Do not lay up treasures on this earth, where moths and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal". And the John Hagee version continues, "And where the IRS takes 40% of your cash before you can get your hands on it". But "lay up for yourselves". Who? "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven".
The day will come when all that you will have is what you've given to God. It's your investment waiting for you in heaven. Jesus taught the principles that givers gain. Say that with me. Givers gain. And he taught that giving was a way to get ahead. Luke 6:38, "Give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give to you". The point that God is making is that you give your way to wealth. Jesus taught the law of expectation that would return a hundredfold. Mark 10:30 says, "But you shall receive a hundredfold in this life, houses and lands, and in the world to come, eternal life". This is the only investment profile where you prosper on both sides of the Jordan river.
What's the number one investment in America right now? Houses and lands. You call that real estate. That's still a very good investment. Wall Street cannot match the prosperity of God, because Wall Street stops at the graveyard. But God's prosperity is on earth and in heaven. "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven". Underline the word, "Yourselves". Some day all that you're going to have is going to be what you've given to God. Why should I tithe? Because God rebukes the devourer for your sake. He muzzles Satan. When Satan comes against you, God pulls his leash and says, "You can't touch that one. That one belongs to me". He, God, controls the circumstances of your life. He controls the circumstances of your job. He controls the circumstances of your business. Tithing makes God your business partner.
And I want to tell you, God makes a great business partner. All of the great ideas I have ever received came straight out of heaven. And they worked like lassoed lightning. The tithe is not a debt we owe: it's a seed we sow. When you plant one seed, it will produce a stalk of corn. And that stalk of corn, with ten ears, will have a hundred-seed, which is a hundredfold return. If you plant no seed, you have what? Nothing. When you plant zero seed, you have nothing. You can multiply what you plant, but nothing times nothing equals? Nothing, nada, nothing. The Bible says, again, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven". Why should I tithe? Because if you don't, God considers you a thief. I didn't call you that. God called you that.
The Bible says in Malachi 3:8, "You have robbed me in tithes and offerings". God has your mugshot on his bulletin board up in heaven. Some of you came to church today driving stolen cars, wearing stolen Jewelry. You took God's money and bought that. God says, "You're cursed with a curse". You're not ever going to financially really prosper. The Bible is a book showing you how to have and enjoy unlimited prosperity. Deuteronomy 8:18, Moses said to the children of Israel, "And you shall remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get wealth". The power to get wealth.
Notice the word, "Power". Power is exciting. Football stadiums are packed in America with 100,000 people who come to watch a powerful fullback that weighs 240 pounds smash into the line of scrimmage, only to see a 250-pound linebacker knock his head off. Boom! Boy, that's exciting. Every 25 seconds, you get the chance to hit somebody new. Every snap of the ball, 11 powerful athletes smash into the opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Helmets clash. Leather pops. Language is spoken that would make a marine corps drill inspector blush if he heard it. You know how I know that.
Power was the reason for the sensational success of the ministry of Jesus. People didn't go out to hear Jesus because he was a good teacher. There were lots of rabbis in Israel. They came to see him raise the dead, and open the blinded eyes, and do mighty miracles. The Kingdom of God comes with power. When there is no power in the Kingdom of God, and that's where the church in America is right now, we have a form of Godliness, but we do not have the power that the New Testament speaks of. We need to come back to the power of God, so that we can do the deeds of God on this earth. Raising the dead takes power. Healing the sick takes power. Casting out demons takes power.
Ninety-nine churches out of 100 in America are terrified to even teach that demons exist, let alone try to cast one of them out. Protecting your wealth takes power. Deuteronomy 8:18, "You shall remember the Lord, because it is he who gives you the power to get wealth". It is God's will for you to prosper. Joshua 1:8 says, "And this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you're going to have great success". Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man (or the woman) who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. For they shall be like a tree planted by rivers that brings forth its fruit in its season". And listen to this, "And his leaf does not wither: and whatsoever they do shall always prosper". Why? Because you have the blessing of God behind you.
Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you". Say that with me. "Give, and it shall be given unto you". The fact is this, the day will come when all you will have is what you've given to God. God has created a universe where it is impossible to receive without giving. Think about that. In God's universe, you have to give, and then you receive. You go to Neiman Marcus, and you give the lady behind the cash register your credit card or cash, if you're still old fashioned and use that. And once you give her that, you get to take home the dress, or whatever it is you bought. You go to the grocery store, you buy $100 worth of groceries, you throw it in a bag, and put it in the glove compartment in your Toyota. Yeah. But if you receive without giving, it's called shoplifting.
And some Christians are shoplifters. They enjoy everything God has. They enjoy the church. They enjoy the ministry. It never Dawns on them that they must be contributors to the Kingdom of God to make that happen. If not you, who? If not now, when? We're in a battle for the soul of this nation. Faith in God is under attack. Our constitution is under attack. Civil authority is under attack. The family in America is under attack. And the best way to stop that is the preaching of the Word of God over television, until it penetrates the soul of this nation. We must stand up and defend righteousness, and do it now!
If God gives to you without you giving to God, God would have to break his own law. The fact is, when offering time is coming, you're making a decision about your financial future. Offering time is your opportunity to prosper. And you should think of it as that. "For with the same measure that you give, it will be given back to you". You sow sparingly, you reap? You sow abundantly, you reap? Listen closely. What you make happen for other people, God will make happen for you. How you respond to another person in need will exactly predict what God will do for you the next time you get in need.
The parable of the loaves and fishes with the boy with a sack lunch, there were 5,000 people there. Ever hear of the phrase, "Little is much when God is in it"? And the Lord Jesus takes this sack lunch and multiplies it until it feeds everyone there. That, my friend, is a great miracle. And when it was over, they recollected 12 baskets full. Why? Because there's 12 tribes in Israel, and there's enough, symbolically, for the whole nation. But they gave the boy, who gave the sack lunch, all of those remains, and he had enough to go home and start a Jewish delicatessen. Why? Because he gave what he had. It met the need of everyone who was there, and when it was over. He had far more than he had ever thought he would ever own.
Giving is sowing what you have been given to create what God has promised you. I want to say that again, and say it very slowly. Giving is sowing what you have been given by God to create what you have been promised by God. Every man who plants a seed enters a covenant with God. You can do three things with seed. You can eat it, you can feed it to the livestock, or you can plant it. But it does not multiply until you plant it. There is no chance of increase until you plant it. A seed of nothing guarantees a season of nothing. Giving is the only proof that the cancer of greed has not consumed your soul. How many of you here and watching this telecast, need a financial breakthrough, you're in this room, you need a financial breakthrough? That's the vast majority here. You need a financial rain to break the drought, or this wretched, despicable political leadership we have in Washington that's causing this inflation we're now experiencing, because of the gasoline and food prices, you need God's help to rescue you and your family from this economic crisis we're going through.
Let me see your hand. All of God's wealth belongs to his children. 1 Corinthians 3, "Let no one boast in men, for all things are yours". Did you hear that? "Let no one boast in men, for all things are yours". Listen to 2 Corinthians 9:8. Listen to the "alls" in this verse. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, always having all sufficiency in all things that you may have an abundance for every good work". Aren't we all children of God? No, we are not. We are all God's creation, but you're not God's child until you confess your sin, and you receive Jesus Christ as the Savior of your life. Only Jesus, only Jesus. Are you God's child? Giving creates a memorial before God that he never forgets.
When Mary broke the alabaster box over the head of Jesus just before the crucifixion, it cost her one year's wage. It was a massive sacrifice on her part. It was so massive that her relatives criticized her for what she had done. And Jesus rebuked them saying, "Wherever the gospel is preached, from this moment forward, for all eternity, this woman's name is going to be remembered". We often teach that Jesus was alone the last 48 hours of his life, but he was not. His robe was soaked in that aroma that Mary poured all over his body. His robe was soaked with that sacrificial gift. When he prayed in the garden and his disciples were asleep, if ever there was a portrait of his being alone, it was there. But he was not alone, because that aroma was in that seamless robe.
When Jesus stood before Pilate, and the mob screamed, "We have no king but Caesar," if you ever see a portrait of something that looks alone, it would be there. But there was that divine message from heaven, "Somebody loved you, Jesus, enough to do their very best," because that aroma was in his robe. When he was taken to the whipping post, and the Roman cat-of-nine-tails ripped his back open 39 times, and the blood gushed out in streams, there was that powerful aroma that said, "Someone loved you, Jesus, to do their very, very best". And when they placed the crown of thorns on his head, that aroma was there that said, "Someone loved you enough to do their very, very best".
And when the atheistic hands of Romans nailed him to the old-rugged cross, and the Romans gambled for his robe, those who gambled for his robe did not gamble because Jesus was famous. Jesus was infamous. He was an insurrectionist, murdered by the Roman government because they thought he was an insurrectionist against the Roman government. They gambled for that robe because it was a valuable robe. And when they smelled that aroma, they said, "Someone loved this man enough to do their very, very best". In heaven right now, God is looking over the balconies of heaven into this congregation, and into the heart of every believer on this earth to see who loves the Lord Jesus enough to do their very, very best. When you look at the goodness that God has given to you, are you doing your very, very best for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Can we stand to our feet? How many of you in this room can say, "Pastor, I have never heard a message presenting God's plan of prosperity. And from this moment forward, I am going to obey the Word of God, giving what God requires, and expecting an abundant harvest"? Can I see your hand in this room? God bless you. Now, in faith, I want you to do this. I want you, right where you are, to lift your hands. And I want you to thank God for his goodness, for his provision, for everything he has done, and for everything you want him to do, because he's listening right now.
Father God, we've come to the house of the Lord. We lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting. And we now release the blessings of God upon the righteous in their health, in their relationships, in their homes, in their businesses. I ask you, God, to send your angels before them to prepare their way: that you make the crooked way straight: that you rebuke the devourer for their benefit: that you control the circumstances to bring to their life and to their business, an abundance that they have never known, because of the goodness of God. In Jesus' name, we pray this prayer. And all of God's children said, amen.
Give the Lord a shout of praise from the house of God! Amen. Come on, bless the Lord! Bless the Lord! Bless the Lord! Bless the Lord! Bless his holy name! Come on, church! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! Glory! Honor to the lamb that sits upon the throne! We worship you, Lord! We worship you, Lord!