LET'S MAKE A DEAL

               
                                                    LET'S MAKE A DEAL

    I'm not an aficionado of television game shows, but I believe there was/is
a show called Let's Make A Deal. That title is a perfect fit for this message,
and I doubt any Christian can honestly claim the word "deal" has never been
mentioned in prayer. If I'm wrong, I not only apologize, but recognize you as
a very special advocate of Jesus Christ. My Christian charge is to teach the
scriptural Word of God, and I must admit I have used the word "deal" in talking
to God. I believe I am now cured of that fault/sin, but it took a while. Making
personal connections like these are very difficult.

     When we come under stress, we quite naturally seek a rapid relief. For
those with a weak prayer connection, the first solution may be an attempt to
find a quick, but temporary cure. This course places the person in a position
that precludes prayer because that cure is not uppermost in your mind. Things
like drugs or alcohol may be the "instant pill" that permits you to escape
reality. If you realize this won't work, you are at least on the path that can lead
you to relief--prayer.

    Before I get to scripture, I need to explain just how easy it is that we propose
a human carnal solution to God. We instantly place ourselves in the same
category as God--as if we have the power and choice of making our personal
solution. How easy it is to forget "our place" in the universe. How easy it is to
propose a "deal" with God, Himself. We are thinking only of ourselves, and the
desire to relieve the pressure and stress of our problem. Worse yet, the problem
undoubtedly is a situation we brought on ourselves.

    Have you ever faced an important decision or problem and said to God, "God,
if you help me out of this jam, I will (finish off this promise in whatever way you
believe will please God)? Perhaps you can't quite get a motor going, or the oven
won't work, or you can't get someplace on time, or you're injured, and on, and
on, and on. If God gives you a quick fix, you'll pay Him back by doing something
you should do anyway. Or, you promise something you should know you will never
be able to keep.

    I'll stop right here and give you the definition of "deal" so you aren't one of those
who claim I put spin on scripture, especially for political philosophy. I give the exact
words of scripture, and, in this case, I'll give you the words in a dictionary. If you
choose to doubt these meanings, it will be because you have already decided how
you want to interpret the meanings. Folks, these meanings are simple and plain.
They were placed there for your understanding and guidance. God gives you the
choice, and He holds you to His Word.

    We begin this "understanding in scripture, and I'll just skip to a few main verses
so this message isn't too long. Gen. 1:1 states "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth." Note the plural word "heavens". That's another message.
Read the verses following 1:1, to verses 26 and 27, where God states He will make
man in "Our" image, and man will have dominion over all the earth. Now we know
that God created everything. It is all His, including each of us. We can create only
that which God gives us the ability and direction to create. There is a character,
Satan by name, who can also give us the ability to make or do things, and has a
remarkable way to persuade us to oppose God's way.

    I want to show you clearly the difference between the power of God and any power
of anything else. Turn to I Samuel. I urge you to read all of chapters four and five to get
a good understanding of the ark of God. This "box" actually contained the spiritual
POWER of God. For a Christian, this power is conveyed through our acceptance
of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

    The Philistines defeated Israel and captured the ark of God (I Sam. 4:22). The
Philistines took the ark of God to Ashdod, and placed it beside their god, Dagon.
In the morning Dagon was found face down on the earth beside the ark. They
replaced Dagon, and the next morning they found Dagon, again on the ground, but
this time the head and both palms of the hands were broken off. Meanwhile, the
Lord ravaged the people of Ashdod, so they moved it to another Philistine city,
and the problem continued. The Philistines knew very well that the ark of God
had the power to injure and destroy them. They finally understood the ark had
to be returned to Israel. This account is told in Chapter 6. Be sure to read these
chapters.

    You see, even the idol worshiping Philistines understood the power of God.
But being carnal humans they refused to change their ways. They were reprobate--
they had hardened hearts. There are many would be or pretending Christians who
are in this condition. This section of I Samuel well illustrates what God can do.
Think of how foolish we are to believe we can make a deal with the creator of
all. Before we go any further on the power of God, we need to look into this
attempted deal making on our part.

    The dictionary gives us the definitive explanation of the word "deal". It is quite
simple. "To give in portions or as one's portion; TO DISTRIBUTE." In America we
look at deals as a way to satisfy two individuals or groups by giving something to
each side, while taking away something from each side. The "perfect" goal is to
see that each side gets a fair distribution. Unfortunately, we have changed that
goal to mean getting more than we give. We have deals in business, sports and
politics. The object has become how we deal to gain more than we give, without
caring that the action is honest and fair. It's become sort of a game to see who is
superior.

    Imagine! We actually think, at least for a brief time, we have the power to deal
with God on His level! Our prayer, if you can call it that, places us on the same level
as God. Even Christ repeatedly said the Father was in total charge. God has
everything every place all the time. How can we be so presumptuous as to even
think we have God's power? It is carnal man's thinking, placing us in charge of all
problem solving.

     Worse yet, if God does solve the problem--not because of our "deal", but
because He wants it solved or is showing mercy--He must turn away  quickly
as we fail to deliver our promise. We usually do fail. Now I want to go back to
that explanation of the word deal. Notice the simple explanation is "distribution".
There has been a great "deal" of discussion about distribution and
redistribution of wealth in America. There are some Godly factors and expectations
of distribution and redistribution of wealth. Since wealth--money-- controls every
aspect of human life except one, this is very important  to comprehend. The one
aspect money doesn't control is spirituality. Christ made it very clear that God and
His teaching come first in your life. You cannot serve God and mammon--check out
the parables (Matt. 6:24).

    All wealth BELONGS to God. Not one penny belongs to you, rich man. It is all in
your investments and bank accounts because God permitted it to be there. Do you
think you are extra intelligent and that brought you great success? How about the
day laborer who just won millions in the lottery? You're no better than that person,
and, in fact, he/she is the superior person because he/she realizes the money does
not come because he/she is a superior (elite) human being. 

    All this talk about a wealthy person "deserving" wealth because of hard work and
dedication is a very lame excuse for hoarding. Have you ever considered the really
hard work performed every day by the average person? If you ever bothered to
research pay for work, you'd see that much of the most difficult work is performed
by people who are paid low wages. The caretakers in nursing homes or retirement
homes are on the low end of the pay scale. 

    Just look at the effect our spiritual deal making has had on our value system. Our
success is measured in money. We fool ourselves into believing it is our education
and ability that make us wealthy--whether that measurement is modest in amount
or in millions. You worked hard, and you earned what you have. That's what everybody
should be required to do. If someone has to come "begging" for assistance, that's not 
your fault. Let them make a deal with God--especially if they're the religious type.

     If you've spent time in a nursing home, hospice, special care facility, or other type
of residence, you should understand about what we sometimes call "the unfortunate".
None of these people have made deals with God. They are where they are because
that is (for whatever reason) where God has placed them or permitted Satan to place
them. Before you decide I'm shilling for people on welfare, understand I agree with
those of you who loudly proclaim there is a sizable number of cheats. 

    Is it wrong to be wealthy? Of course not, and don't use this claim to discredit the
truth about distribution and redistribution. God blessed many individuals in scripture
both materially and monetarily. Think about David and Solomon, for example. Before
you leave these two examples, carefully consider how God dealt with them after they
received their blessings. They fell victim to the same love of money as most of the
rest of us, and greatly overdid material excesses. So, see what you're in store for if
you don't follow God's instructions about spending your money.

    I REPEAT: IT IS NOT A SIN TO BE WEALTHY. It's what you do with the wealth.
God blesses people in many ways. If you are a millionaire or earn a large salary in
a profession or job, you need to ask God what you should do with your blessing.
In my youth I worked for a man who privately owned a bank that specialized in
short term loans. As soon as a client paid off the loan, this banker convinced the
client to take out another loan. The banker told me "There's never enough (money)."
His son became a school teacher and rarely returned home. Although his father
invested small amounts in many, many banks in his son's name, the son kept his
distance because he detested the "money game". God judges your use of money,
and He gave you the rules through Christ's teaching.

    Now, to those who support undisciplined wealth (greed). I say to you that a Christian,
a real follower of Jesus Christ, will not be a deal maker to hoard wealth. The Christian
will not have the attitude that everyone or anyone is poor or in need because they lack
the smarts, work ethic or anything else. They will accuse another Christian of envy
or insult a real believer by saying that person would do the same thing with money if
he had it (greedily seek more).

    Have you well-to-do sham Christians actually "earned" your wealth by sweat of your
brow, calloused hands and honest use of your mind? If the money comes from
investments, it's time you understand what that invested money is doing besides giving
you an easy profit. It takes skill to manage money in various investments, but callouses
on your brain aren't any more honest than callouses on the hands of a laborer. Money
can create jobs, but many investors are primarily interested in profit, not the use of their
money to create jobs. You don't need a job; you need more money. 

    If you really read scripture, you will find many references to money in Christ's teaching.
The references to money in the Old Testament number over 100. In the New Testament,
where Christ carefully tells us how to use money, there are more than 25 references. Most
are not positive. In fact, Christ warns us about making a profit through illegal and immoral
means (Matt. 25:26-28; Luke 19:21-22). Note in Luke, we are talking about political power
through control of cities. You may have interpreted these passages to mean you are
encouraged to make money. I pray you also see that encouragement tells you to cheat
and steal to do it. Christ never taught us to cheat and steal to make money.

    Two more admonitions from scripture: Matt. 19:21 and  Matt. 19:23-24. Wealth usually
brings with it "honor" and respect. Your question is: which do you place first--Christ or
material things? You must make the choice now, before you die. Read Luke 16:19-31,
and you will understand your future. We give billions of dollars to foreign countries to
feed and care for their poor--our tax dollars. Our millionaires and comfortable workers
can't afford tax dollars for our own people in need? Do you think all those people in
foreign countries are workers? The foreign leaders skim our money, and the people
get what remains, if anything. If you think you can make a deal with God and continue
to ignore Christ's teaching about money, you are mistaken. Enjoy your money while
you can, because there is none in eternal life. You will pay your dues with the rich man
who dwells in misery forever.

Rev. Walbear