ENGLISH Dante Gebel #825 | The rotten apple

Joshua could not conquer any other city until he removed Achan, “the rotten apple,” from his army. Achan, who did not trust the Divine Providence and so dishonored the Lord by keeping part of the treasure of the conquered land for himself. God highly values our trust. He does not ask for it, does not suggest it or recommend it; He demands it. And managing our finances is a way of letting God know that we trust Him, and that He comes first in our lives. This is what tithing or offerings are all about; giving God the honor and thanks for everything we have. It is not about percentages, but about priorities. Giving first to God in all areas of life, makes the rest be blessed.

[Music]

are we ready yes or no

today I want to begin

with the story of a famous

multi-millionaire a magnet

that lives in Silicon Valley

he belongs to the generation that became

extremely rich with an application and

algorithm or the invention of a new

mobile device in other words he didn’t

inherit his fortune these technology

Wizards that become rich from night to

day online a Visionary an innovator a

leader a businessman a precursor

Italian shoes a Rolex on his wrist a

designer suit

his money is always invested his money

works for him it’s in the market his

plastic is gold he lives the same way he

flies first class

he develops his muscles in the gym

he escapes old age with some discreet

Botox applications not for him to look

swollen like a ninja turtle but you know

things here and there

his stomach is very flat he always

smells very good

what characterizes him his branding is

his power of Seduction in all areas

especially business he’s secure

is a guy that knows where he’s going and

where he’ll arrive tomorrow

he makes up the new generation of

businessmen and he dominates the three

p’s Prosperity posterity and Power

they say these are the three p’s that

you have to dominate in the business

world and up until now

life has been easy for this gentleman

but now he has a question

and for someone that’s so used to giving

orders

it’s very uncomfortable for him to

solicit help

from the son of a carpenter for a man of

his level

to consult help from a villageman is it

something common

it’s not something that he’s used to

but he’ll ask all the same so he goes up

to the man and he says Master what do I

have to do to obtain eternal life the

guy has it all but he wants to be sure

that if on top of what he has now if

he’ll have eternal life and his way of

expressing his question

exposes his erroneous belief system he

thinks he can accomplish eternal life

the way he acquires everything else

through his economic power in other

words he’s saying Master what should I

do come on give me a price and and

that’ll be it

if I can’t pay it here and now then I’ll

have my lawyer send a check and Jesus

answer

tries to make him reflect he says if you

want eternal life be sure to obey all

the Commandments

and the man says well which one’s

exactly and he takes out a tablet to

write some notes tell me which ones and

Jesus says well do not kill

don’t commit adultery do not steal do

not lie honor your mother and your

father and love your neighbor as you

love yourself

fantastic

the guy thinks murder

terminate someone and there’s always

someone that that will dirty their hands

so I don’t have to do it so it doesn’t

count as me killing him adultery

I don’t know it’s nothing no young man

wouldn’t do

and on top of it us gentlemen don’t have

a memory

stealing

nah you know extortion here and there

but that’s just business nothing

personal

false testimony not that I can remember

on top of it all my lawyer speaks for me

honor your mother and your father yeah I

visit them on Father’s Day and on

Mother’s Day always

love your neighbor as you love yourself

hey I pay my employees well so in one

way or another that’s loving them so he

looks at Jesus and he says look I’ve

accomplished them all you know what’s

more now that I think of it

I’ve fulfilled them even from when I was

a child so he brags a bit he hooks his

thumb in his belt just like an

Argentinian

and he says

are there any other Commandments for me

master but now Jesus go straight to the

point and he says yeah you know what I

just thought of another one if you want

to be perfect

go so everything you have

give it to the poor

and you will accumulate Treasures in

Heaven

and the guy goes crazy as a panic attack

and this declaration

leaves this gentleman dismayed and all

the disciples perplexed so that it’s the

the disciples ask well then who’s going

to be saved that way the man left upset

because he wasn’t willing to do that and

Jesus answer left all listeners in a

State of Shock he said for men it’s

impossible for them to be saved on their

own that doesn’t say improbable

it doesn’t say it’s

not feasible he says no there’s no hope

there’s no it’s impossible impossible

that’s why the Young Rich Man thought

that the only thing that separated him

from heaven was a payment with his

credit card and it made sense for him

you work hard you pay what you owe and

there you’re free you’re you’re sent but

Jesus said no no way because what you

need

costs a lot more than what you can pay

than what you can afford so it wasn’t

money that bothered the Young Rich Man

but his self-sufficiency what do I need

to get to heaven

it wasn’t his possessions but his

arrogance his pride it wasn’t his bills

that bothered Jesus or the young man but

his inflated head that’s why Jesus added

in Mark 10 23 how hard it is for the

rich to enter the kingdom of God

but not just Richmond

also those that are educated those that

are strong the good-looking people the

popular people the religious people the

holiest and specifically those that

don’t trust in God

how difficult is it for them to enter

the kingdom of heaven I’m going to tell

you another story

to tell you the Second Story I need to

go a little further back we have to go

back to the Book of Joshua

it’s a book that’s about military

conquest that’s what the Book of Joshua

is but it doesn’t share many military

details because you go to the Book of

Joshua and we don’t know what type of

weapons Joshua used how many officials

made up his army

we have no clue how many men were in

each Battalion we don’t know if Joshua

had

special ops unit we don’t know if he had

a SWAT team what we do know if you go to

the Book of Joshua

is that for them to have Victory and

battles

they had to trust absolutely in God’s

faithfulness they had to depend

exclusively on him so this story

that the one that I’m about to tell you

goes back to Canaan

it was the best real estate on all of

Earth cannan connected Africa with

Europe it had access to the

Mediterranean Sea it was rich in fields

infertile lands and the most important

thing is that that land was a gift from

God to his people that’s the land that

he had given his people seven centuries

beforehand God had told Abraham in

Genesis 12 7.

to your Offspring I will give this land

and now Joshua is ready to claim it

because God set it apart already the

property was for his people Jericho had

been destroyed the Citadel was in Ruins

they were about to take that land that

God had promised years ago

the scene was set for the Hebrews to

take control

and in the last verse

of Joshua 6. it says so the Lord was

with Joshua and his Fame spread

throughout the land the guy was super

famous

Josh was 6 27 says the guy was popular

an influencer of that moment

but as soon as the following chapter

began don’t get lost please don’t forget

about the rich man that we were just

speaking about as soon as chapter 7

begins

a word or a phrase a sentence appears

that bothers and it says but

so chapter six Ends by saying and God

was with Joshua and his Fame spread

throughout the land

as soon as chapter 7 begins it begins

with a but

and it worries me because that but

threatens to destroy the entire

storyline Joshua 7 1 it’s the following

chapter says but

it’s like when the movie gets

complicated right

but the Israelites were Unfaithful in

regard to the devoted things

it happens that a man named akan it is

believed that he had a Salvadorian

mother and a Mexican father according to

theologians probably some watermelon in

there too but you know no Argentinian in

him

he had stolen some sacred things some

sacred goods and so the Lord was very

very angry he was irate against the

Israelites

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about

acan you wouldn’t be the only one

because almost nobody emphasizes the

story of acan however

his story survived the biblical archive

and for some reason God decided to

register that story and keep it in the

Bible

it’s not a story with a happy ending we

know the sorority it’s not a pleasant

story for a Sunday School

this is akan’s life this is his profile

he had a wife a family

he’s fortunate because the Bible doesn’t

mention

that he had a mother-in-law his wife

must have been an orphan so he had it

all

Bulls donkeys sheep and a tent a home he

had a place in the lineage of Judah

but despite that

he deliberately and shamelessly violated

the order that God had given in Joshua 6

18.

but keep away from the devoted things

so that you will not bring about your

own destruction by taking any of them

you will bring Venom and disgrace to the

land of Israel

just that no one asked so what can we do

no anything that’s made of gold silver

bronze and iron it belongs to God and

because of that it’s sacred

I’ll explain why God gave this order in

a bit but the instructions were clear

don’t make necklaces

from the gold take the city but don’t

make medallions with the bronze don’t

make gifts no knickknacks no bajira

nothing

God had many hopes for this for these

people because through them the Messiah

would come

so he needed them to trust in him and

only him

they couldn’t depend on their own

resources no definitely not

God had to

even in the desert they never lacked

anything

not only did he give them food but he

also clothed them he gave them good

health health

there’s an occasion

in Deuteronomy 8 4 that says your

clothes did not wear out and your feet

did not swell during these 40 years

you never heard that in the desert oh I

have to plunge my feet in fig tree Soul

because they’re so swollen this crazy

guy has been taking us in circles for

for years no one said oh no my tunic

ripped again well where’d you buy it oh

at Ross on on Tuesday for for the

elderly for the

for the seniors discount

[Music]

no shoemakers no tailors they didn’t

have any any work to do no blisters no

bunions

that were ready to kiss beautiful God

took care of them and what was the

secret to continue trusting in God and

for God to care for them remembering

God’s faithfulness all the time God

wanted his faithfulness to be registered

in their biographies anytime they

doubted he wanted them to remember how

God had taken them from slavery and

protected them in the desert before

looking forward towards Jericho they

needed to look back to the Jordan River

back to Egypt and see what God did in

their past that was how they

we’re grateful and that hasn’t changed

even today I think after 2020 after the

pandemic the global pandemic everyone

lived it

it was a socialist virus there’s no one

that can say oh I have nothing to give

thanks for if you survived and if you’re

speaking then you do have to give thanks

you survived you look back

right

and you realize God’s faithfulness I

remember

something even more simple than a virus

I remember a few years back

I write the sermons on Saturday always

to have it fresh to remember it I like

to do it on Saturday unless I’m on a

flight

but either way I mainly do it on

Saturdays and I remember

I I couldn’t find inspiration and time

went by and by and Sunday was upon me

this was a few years back and I thought

this has never happened to me but maybe

tomorrow I’ll Stand before the people

and say I have no no message no sermon

God didn’t give me anything and all of a

sudden I felt that God said to my heart

from the moment you arrived at the

Crystal Cathedral

let’s not talk about beyond that because

God has had me speaking before people

from the age of 19 but he said

from when you arrived at the Cathedral

how many messages have I given you and

at that time the answer was more than

700.

and God whispered to me he said so

you’re telling me I inspired you 700

times and now you think that I’ve

changed you think I’m I’m having a

hormonal mood you think I’m not God

anymore did I get distracted by the

Middle East and so I understood that if

God had inspired me so much in the past

then he wouldn’t stop inspiring me even

if I fail that’s why you have to create

a trophy room in your heart

but a reminder in your soul of God’s

faithfulness and every time we Face a

challenge

we have to look back

this is the only permission we have to

look back to go back to look at God’s

accomplishments in our lives look at all

the payroll checks that he’s provided

all the blessings

that he conceded the help that he’s

given you the life that he’s given you

having breakfast this morning that is

enough to be grateful

right like David

like David before he fought against

Goliath he remembered how God protected

him and helped him defeat The Lion and

the Bear

that’s why you have to revisit the

future we can’t march to Jericho if we

haven’t remembered the Jordan River and

just in parentheses this isn’t part of

the storyline but I’m going to give this

advice to you for the same offering

something you’re not asking me for don’t

become obsessed with Goliath or the

devil

we don’t need to be

specialists

on the hierarchy of hell we don’t have

to lose time studying the devil there

are people that love to study the devil

but don’t give Satan don’t give that

fool a single moment of your day it’s

true that an enemy exists

but the easiest

when there’s a challenge is to

complicate contemplate Christ there’s a

battle out there but the battle has been

won already

Colossians 2 18 to 15 says and having

disarmed the powers and authorities he

made a public spectacle of them

triumphing over them by the cross it’s

done someone needs to celebrate

very well let’s go back to the story of

the Hebrews God wanted the Hebrews to

trust in him and only him

if they doubt then look back just as I

said you’re free I’ll set you free again

just as you didn’t waste away your

sandals and your robes they won’t waste

away in the future he knew what would

happen if the soldiers took Treasures

from the city of Jericho

they would stop trusting in Him and they

would begin to trust in their Treasures

they were nomadic Bedouins

they were gypsies that would be dazzled

by gold God knew that bracelets rings

necklaces would surprise them and the

Hebrews weren’t ready

for something like this for this type of

loot they were born in the desert they

had enough food

and they had clothing but that was it

God says these guys are going to see the

golden they’ll get lost they’re going

across the border and they’ll say I want

the America the um

the

the Jericho dream

and Aiken was proof of this this guy

again Mexican father Salvadorian mother

Nicaraguan grandmother Costa Rican

grandfather he saw the jewels

and forgot about the king let me tell

you let me tell you how this happens how

how this has found out that he had

stolen

it just so happens that a few miles away

from Jericho they were ready to take the

city

there was a small small enemy city named

AI

not like the onomatopoeia of pain but

i a i as in a I like artificial

intelligence and Joshua who was

undefeated in all the battles assumed

that that small city was

an easy easy Victory like Argentina in

the World Cup winning and winning and

winning right

one after another one after another

after Mexico everything else was just a

formality

ah we got three years to go three more

years and I won’t ever mention it again

so he ordered his man to attack AI

in the entire Village of AI

there were just 12 000 inhabitants

Joshua had that amount of men in his

night shift of the army

so he said

a battalion A reduced Battalion 3 000

soldiers and he said you guys go

and soccer when Brazil sends its

Benchwarmers to play in a final Brazil

sends its Benchwarmers and they still

win and this guy was the same he said no

let me send my Benchwarmers I’m going to

have my meal here but you go and defeat

AI because the great city of Jericho is

before us but this is a small City let’s

just get it over with but Joshua would

be surprised in a bad way

AI

had rabid dogs and these dogs bit

everyone and ran them out

Joshua’s division came back

licking their wounds

defeated

and the man of AI

followed they chased the Israelites from

The City Gate as far as the stone

quarries

and the Israelites were paralyzed in

fear

and their bravery vanished

so Josh was Brave man hid beneath their

sheets and they began to tremble and

Joshua didn’t know what to think they

had won every single battle with great

Victory they were unbeatable

invulnerable undefeated but now our hero

has a crisis he tears his robe

he throws himself on the ground and he

says oh Lord Jehovah what’s going on

and he says alas why did you ever bring

these people across the Jordan River to

deliver us into the hands of the

amorites but he challenges Joshua

and he says stand up

what are you doing down on your face

Israel has sinned they have violated my

Covenant

which I commanded them to keep

they have taken some of the devoted

things they have stolen they have lied

and they have put them with their own

possessions

that is why the Israelites cannot stand

against their enemies

I will not be with you anymore unless

you destroy whatever among you is

devoted to destruction unless you find

the rat I just added that but so it can

be more cinematic

hmm

okay it’s not that AI was a formidable

City

but the Hebrew Camp was

poisoned there was a rotten apple in the

Box

there was corruption under someone’s

mattress

so by Divine instruction Joshua inspects

it’s a surprise checkpoint an

immigration checkpoint from tribe to

tribe from family to family until a can

broke down and confessed

the treasures were hidden under his tent

it can confess it’s true I have sinned

against the god of Israel

but amongst the loot

there were 200.

shekels

a beautiful Road from Babylon

and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels I

coveted them and I took them they are

hidden in the ground inside my tent with

the silver underneath

this man had walked like all the other

people

through a city in Ruins that had been

conquered completely all of the city’s

loot was there without protection the

gold the robes the fine silk everyone

saw it all the other soldiers saw it and

they remembered God’s commandment and

they continued on they continued on

their path but when Aiken since he was

you know he had Hispanic blood

he thought that nobody was watching him

he stayed back and he said hey you

continue on I’m going to pee here

he looked to his left he looked to his

right he saw a beautiful robe from

Babylonia 200 shekels of silver and a

bar of gold weighing 50 shekels and he

took them he put them in his bag

he went at a retirement plan he wanted

an ace in his sleeve for his family just

in case God stopped blessing them one

day he at least had some insurance

without

reason God did not trust or akan did not

trust in God he didn’t trust in God’s

capacity to provide so he violated God’s

commandment he took the treasures took

them into his tent

and as he involved his family because to

hide the treasures under the mattress

everyone had to lift the mattress

and because of this Disobedience they

were publicly executed

their belongings were burnt and a

monument was erected it’s a sad

Machiavelli’s story but it’s a solemn

warning for us God is very jealous not

with money but with our trust

he doesn’t ask for it

he doesn’t suggest it he doesn’t

recommend it he demands it

his message is very clear trust in me

and only in me in me

that’s what God is jealous of he doesn’t

make a scene of emotions like a

heartbroken man or a woman he’s jealous

of our trust and so I asked today

what would a search through our tent

reveal today a checkpoint

and if God were to do a surprise

inspection of her heart today

what would God find if we went through a

checkpoint of our priorities question

God today

enter your heart and my heart

and do an audit or a requisition of how

our soul is doing

Paul said to Timothy

command those who are rich in this

Prince present world not to be arrogant

nor to put their hope in wealth which is

so uncertain

but to put their hope in God who richly

provides us with everything for our

enjoyment First Timothy 6 17 now

those who are rich in this present world

that’s us

it’s not talking about Elon Musk or Jeff

Bezos

or the young rich man who went to

question the Lord on how to purchase

eternal life no

if you’re educated enough

to understand what I’m saying now here

and at home

you have enough resources to have

arrived here at the arena or if you have

internet to be able to watch me through

a device then you qualify as a

prosperous person

there’s no problem with that

Prosperity is the consequence of

faithfulness you’re faithful and you’ll

prosper

but worshiping money is very difficult

to identify you don’t have to be rich to

worship money

a person can spend a lot a lot a lot of

money

have a lot of shopping bags

exiting them all because they think that

that’s what makes them feel secure and

another person can be austere saves

money

they don’t eat eggs not throughout the

show they’re devout followers of

stinginess and they do this for the same

reason because they feel secure that way

it’s the same pathology the conduct is

antagonistic one person spans a bunch

the other one doesn’t the conduct is

antagonistic they’re on different polls

but it’s the same pathology if both

people are using money

to feel secure and in control

it’s the same same disease same illness

that’s why

Creed is a difficult sin to detect no

one says I’m I’m greedy because greedy

is intrinsically self-deceptive Creed

can be a toxin for us one we don’t

realize it and um

materialistic culture doesn’t help

especially us Hispanics in the U.S those

that have come here not the not all of

you but the majority you didn’t come

here to worship God or you didn’t come

here to look for a church you came here

to make money and it’s not wrong

the point is

with just breathing in that air of our

materialistic Society in one way or

another we all fight against that

problem

and Jesus wasn’t ambiguous as far as

greed he said no one can serve two Lords

or two masters either you will hate the

one and love the other or you will be

devoted to the one and despise the other

you cannot serve both God and money he

said this in Matthew 6 34 you can’t it’s

one or the other

Paul didn’t say

that the rich should feel

guilty because of the riches who said no

be careful

because it’s

tricky

so going back

to Luke 12 16.

he shared Jesus shared a parable

it says the ground of a certain rich man

yielded an abundant Harvest and he

thought to himself what shall I do I

have no place to store my crops so much

fruit I know

this is what I’ll do I will tear down my

Barns and build bigger ones and there I

will store my Surplus grain and I’ll say

to myself you have plenty of grain laid

up for many years take life easy you

have money in the bank

you have money accumulated for your

grandchildren’s college rest eat drink

and be merry buy yourself a good

Argentinian Malbec if you can’t give

yourself that luxury but tequila will do

but God said

you fool

you scoundrel you rascal

this very night your life will be

demanded from you

then who will get what you have prepared

for yourself

now look at me

this rich man seems like an honest man

a hard-working man that probably crossed

the border and began to work

like a crazy man to have a more

dignified life he sent resources back to

his family he bought himself a home he

got a mortgage and he’s doing well

those that do not work will not eat

this is what the word says but this man

was intelligent enough and smart enough

to do business as far as we know his

fortune

[Music]

hadn’t been acquired in a dishonorable

way there’s no mention of exploitation

or embezzlement in Jesus’s parable

it exposes his talent and his desire to

work hard and so he was successful he

probably wrote a book called 12 steps to

obtain your own Harvest

or maybe the title was Empower yourself

with your grain and your Harvest now

however

Jesus labels him a fool

what did he mess up in

the guy moved to an exclusive

neighborhood in Dana Point

he bought a home with seven bedrooms

on one side of the home there was a golf

course on the other side there was a

yacht docked on its own doc

on the same night he moved he served

himself some Dom Perignon

I’m sure I’m glad no one here knows that

brand if I talk to you about King James

version and different versions of the

Bible you’ll know

he submerged himself in a Jacuzzi

and as he had been resting there for 10

minutes he had a massive heart attack

and he woke up in the presence of the

Lord

who of course wasn’t impressed

with his mansion with his yah or his Dom

Perignon

you fool

this very night your life will be

demanded and then who will enjoy what

you have prepared for yourself

he made plans the problem was that he

didn’t involve God in his plans

God emphasized this man’s arrogance just

like the same man who went to Jesus to

ask what do I have to do to buy eternal

life

the problem isn’t your personal goals

but the absence of God in those goals

the accumulation of riches or thinking

that I can

put something under my tent like a can

is a defense before fear and if God

stops blessing me what will I do and if

I get sick who will pay the hospital

bills

so we’re affirm that we trust in God but

our fear of losing our job or losing our

health or losing our retirement fund it

makes us want to work more and save up

in case something happens and if our

motivation is wrong then we begin to

displease God

any time like it can we place our trust

under the mattress or under our tent

will provoke that God will take away his

favor from our battles and then we ask

why we lose against a small village like

Ai and when we ask why

why there’s rebellion in our home why

there’s dissociation why we fight why

we’re in bankruptcy we ask what happened

with God’s favor in our lives

how can we lose a battle with such

foolishness well because God took away

his favor

we can’t think for one moment beloved

people

that we have something to do with what’s

provided to us our provision our cash

our money

our home our clothes our cars there

aren’t things to buy it in or Trump or

Bank of America or chase

the silver is mine and the golden mine

declares the Lord Almighty

the foolish rich man didn’t realize this

the Widow that went to offer at the

temple realized this remember

a poor Widow but a poor Widow came and

put in two very small copper coins worth

only a few cents calling his disciples

to him Jesus said truly I tell you this

poor Widow has put more into the

treasury than all the others they all

gave out of their wealth but she out of

her poverty put in everything all she

had to live on this story is in Mark 12

42.

this woman only had two cents and

instead of

on bread for herself she gave them back

to God

budgeters and and tax collectors

would have invested this

but she said what are you doing woman

where are you putting your last two

cents

but instead of shaming her Jesus

honored her this woman felt that that

money wasn’t her own

when we think that something’s around

that’s where it gets tough for us to

give

when we think that if we give we’ll be

left with less

when we’re very poor it’s not hard for

us to give because we share rice and

beans like my mother said we’re 40 five

can eat where five can eat six can eat

the six of us died of hunger well at

least we shared

I spent my entire childhood hungry I was

always hungry I woke up hungry I went to

bed hungry I lived hungry and with

diarrhea hungry and diarrhea

because we would drink water from the

faucet it was a disaster and so that’s

why I was so thin I was a featherweight

but my mother said there’s food for

everyone

if we were if as poor as we were what

were we going to complain about

but I remember

a gentleman came up to me I won’t say

who were or when if in case the

gentleman is watching they said I want

you to pray

because there’s a a million dollar

lawsuit that I I’ve done and I told God

that if he makes me win I’m going to

give more than half to the church

and he wanted me to say wow how or when

or what and I said

well do you give some of the money that

you have now do you tithe

red do you offer to a certain cause or

an individual and he said no no I’m

waiting for that money and I said what’s

going to make what makes you think now

you’re going to be generous if you win

this lawsuit if you’re not generous now

because we tend to think that the reason

we’re not generous is because right now

we’re too tight we owe too much

and we don’t earn enough to give out and

we think when I earn more I’m going to

be more generous the problem is that the

principal doesn’t operate this way and

every Church including this one I’m

going to pull back the curtain the

people with the lowest salaries give a

higher

percentage of their salary than those

that are rich

the fact that we’ve sent out 30 million

dollars in the last three years

we did this with people that earn a low

salary

it’s not because we have many

millionaires it’s not because we have

drug dealers here

thank you

now

the more we receive

the more our expenses go up as I always

say the harder it is for us to be

generous if we can’t be generous with

what we have now then we’ll never ever

be generous with more and God knows it

and you might say is God interested in

the money no he’s interested in our

hearts people the Bible says

God does not see as men see men see the

exterior

is the heart

or the quora as Italians say

have you ever heard Italians preaching

it sounds like you’re sending you

sending you to hell

yeah

yes yes yes yes I give my heart to God

yes

God is interested in the heart

greetings to all the Italians watching

on the other side thank you for watching

this

we’re almost done

God continues inspecting our hearts

to see if they truly belong to him

that’s why he said to the young man sell

it all

not because the money the guy had was

bad

with all that money you could feed

children in in

Uganda or have electricity in Cambodia

but he just wanted to test his heart how

much did he trust God so it’s very

important to clarify this question

who or what occupies the first place in

her heart who occupies the priority in

her heart because that’s the question

that akan and the rich young man in the

first story couldn’t get past

the question is is God truly number one

in our lives because if not then we’re

losing time we’re wasting our time here

on Sundays

we’re wasting two hours every Sunday the

Bible says in Proverbs 3 9 honor the

Lord with your wealth you know this

verse

with the first fruits of all your crops

then your barns will be filled to

overflowing

and your Vats will brim over with new

wine

and now I think we’re ready to

understand why did God want the

treasures why was he so severe with

Aiken the guy confessed yeah yeah I I

hid the treasures why was God so severe

why did he exterminate him

in other words what did God need the

gold from Jericho though the owner of

the gold and silver I’m going to tell

you the reason

Jericho was the first city that they

conquered

so Jericho was the first fruit of the

promised land the first fruit

that they should conquer tan cities

first and give one of those cities to

him no

God demanded

that they give to him everything from

the first one and then he said to them

that they could keep the goods and the

loot from all the other cities that they

would conquer that’s how it works give

the first fruits to God

so that everything else is blessed God

said to the Israelites

to honor him with the first city

and then I will help you conquer all the

other cities

and you can keep the loot from the other

cities

and not until Joshua removed the rotten

apple the putrid Apple that Dishonored

God they were not going to conquer any

other City

Whoever has ears listen

not until

they would remove the rotten apple they

wouldn’t be able to continue now

it’s possible that you might have heard

about tithing here at home and I always

clarify

because of a group of

of Rascals

scoundrels

of the Gospel or of the of of evangelism

of the Evangelical world

because of a few Shameless scoundrels

that are scammers I won’t stop preaching

the truth so I’m not going to ask for

forgiveness

for communicating what the Bible speaks

about on tithing and offering

if I keep this for myself it’s like

keeping the cure for cancer as I watch

you die

chemo

let me clarify this

I have no candle at this funeral

it doesn’t affect me or river it doesn’t

benefit us by one cent

this is for you to place your finances

in order it’s for your good not mine

whoever gets up and walks out now is

you’re gonna look bad so just stay

our finances

are the way of showing God that he’s

first in our lives it’s just a matter of

heart

it’s not about

it’s all about giving God honor and

gratitude

for all that he gives us it’s not about

percentages it’s about priorities

it’s about placing God first in our

lives

God is super ultra macro jealous on that

God was always interested in knowing if

he was first in our hearts

that’s why God has always been

interested in the first fruits and the

firstborn

he wants to see what’s first in our

hearts always always

he doesn’t want to be first second third

he wants to be first he needs to be

first so when he says

and we have to sow or offer it’s always

the first fruits not the last not the

leftovers

he said when when you have your your

Lambs give me the first lamb

and you might say does God really want a

lamb he creates them

God didn’t say Let Let the sheep have 10

12 lambs and give me the extras he said

no I need the first one why the first

one because you need Faith you need a

lot of faith to give the first 10 you

have to believe that another 90 will

come

tithing is about giving the first 10 to

God if you say no no once I pay off all

my debts if I have anything left over

then I give it to God no don’t do that

you’re wasting it giving the last 10

instead of giving the first 10 percent

paying debts before offering it saying

well first I’m going to be sure that I

have what I need then if I have any

extras I’ll honor you God is that really

honoring though

but when we give God the first fruits

we’re saying God my faith is in you

my sandals never wasted away my robes

never got torn were saying I want to

give you first your first in every area

of my life and so money will always test

us always always always that’s why Jesus

said

for where your treasure is there your

heart will also be Matthew 6 21.

how do we find with GPS where someone’s

heart is where well wherever their

treasure is in other words God said

money is tied to your heart there’s no

other way

so anytime We unexpectedly receive money

we always have the opportunity to place

God first we receive something extra

what goes through our head

really I’m going to give God I’m going

to give God the first 10 because this

game unexpectedly so giving is a way of

recognizing that he is the one that gave

us that extra money because deep down

inside we suffer from spiritual amnesia

of saying God I need to pay this debt

I was fired I received an eviction

notice and God answers that prayer I’m

going to send you the money to pay that

debt

and we don’t even give it the 10 from

that you see how quickly we forget

that God is the one who covered that

need so when we don’t give we’re

communicating to God that we’re aware

that that money came from him

and he gave us the strength to go and

work we know that that Health came from

him because tomorrow God can shut off

the faucet of our oxygen and we’re like

fish on dry land back like in 2020 and

we won’t work anymore now this isn’t law

this is love this is expressing

gratitude and honor to God so when our

budget’s tight God says all right all

right I’m going to bless you you’re poor

was managing your money

but I’m your father and I’m going to

bless you and I love you you’re full you

dummy I know you’re a dummy but I’m

going to help you

I’m going to put it in your boss’s heart

to give you a raise even though they’re

not giving anyone raises because God

loves you so much

that he might even move a non-believer’s

heart

he might move your mother-in-law’s heart

and she’ll say son-in-law I don’t know

why I’m doing this but here it goes and

all you have to do is give thanks to God

by giving

that summarizes the test of our

priorities

that’s saying that’s the priority

and I truly insist whether you believe

me or not

this isn’t about the money

I could never leave this country or

leave River

or leave streaming

if I had never spoken to you of this

because like I said it’s like keeping

the secret therapy the The Cure

to myself

and this goes especially for Hispanics

because we go through a lot of poverty

those of us that go through a lot of

need we tend to be very hard working

it’s true

but in that

desire that

Obsession of working so much we lose our

priorities I want to tell the people

from Asia Africa Europe Latin America

that here in the U.S us Hispanics we

work very hard two three four jobs and

Hispanic pastors told me that when

a church member finds a new job

when they find a new job that pays them

a little more in a different city they

don’t even doubt for a second whether

they should stay at their congregation

they go straight for the money because

the priority isn’t congregating nor the

family of God nor the church nor prayer

it’s the priority is where do I get paid

more is money bad no idolatry of money

is bad and if it’s tough for you to

digest what Jesus told the Young Rich

Man or how harsh she was with akan and

his family

when I describe Judgment Day to you

you’re going to feel a knot in your

throat

Matthew 7 22 says many will say to me on

that day Lord Lord did we not prophesy

in your name and in your name drive out

demons and in your name perform many

miracles surprising

these people are before God boasting

about themselves

the great trumpet is sounding but

they’re sounding their own

instead of singing praise to God they

sing their own praise

in place of worshiping God

they read the curriculum of their lives

instead of them being mute they speak

they’re in the presence of the Lord of

the king and they boast about themselves

what’s worse arrogance or blindness

you don’t boast about

God’s goodness and how you were used by

him before God’s presence

and the Lord says then I will tell them

plainly I never knew you away from me

you evil doers what do you mean

evildoers they did miracles in the name

of the Lord but the motivation was wrong

so God doesn’t save us for what we’ve

done

only an indelible God can be bought out

with offerings only a selfish God

only a temperamental God that would be

satisfied with the sacrifice only a god

with no soul would sell salvation to the

highest bidder but a great God does for

his children what they can’t do on their

own and this is the message

of the first blessing plethora the poor

in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven

so it doesn’t matter how much we earn it

doesn’t matter how much we have

do we agree yes or no that is why

God asks us again

what would an audit reveal an audit of

our tent reveal today

if God today were to inspect your heart

what would he find if we went through a

checkpoint of our priorities

today right now in this very moment

could God do a requisition or an audit

of your soul I ask myself this every

single day

because there’s no spiritual stature

where that doesn’t happen to anymore

with money

if you have a little bit or a lot it

doesn’t matter you can have a a

miserable mind or miserly mind I always

ask myself God am I managing well

because if we have food and clothing we

have to rejoice

that’s all we need

all the rest comes

from vacancy is it bad to have a nice

house no the problem is if that home

takes away your sleep or if the vehicle

that you dream of takes the first place

in your life

we always have to remember our order of

priorities in my case as soon as I

realized that I’m the rotten apple

immediately I looked to reorder my

priorities immediately

we’re not in the times of the law where

I’ll be executed I always have the

Providence of running to his grace but I

don’t want to be a corrupt man much less

poison my family what’s worse is the

entire camp

because of my behavior I would never

forgive myself if we began to lose

battles

because of the poison I have under my

mattress and what’s the poison under my

mattress believing

that you can assure your future and be

in control of something only God is our

provider and God is very jealous about

who we placed our trust in our what and

I insist he doesn’t ask for he doesn’t

suggest that he doesn’t recommend it he

demands it

and he says now trust in me and only in

me

many years ago

David Wilkerson who is now in the

presence of the Lord

the pastor that founded many rehab

centers called Youth Challenge he

visited Buenos Aires while I was still

living in Argentina and he shared an

experience that impacted my heart

forever and he said

he had bought about five lots to be able

to construct buildings that would

function as rehab homes

he had them all around the globe

but he continued he was still renting

his home and one day he told his wife

hey we’re getting old

we should have our own home

just in case one day our ministry ends

and the blessing stops flowing we don’t

have anything we haven’t constructed

anything for ourselves and he confessed

that he bought a home in Florida not a

mansion but just a worthy home in Miami

and before he secured it just as soon as

he had purchased it as soon as escrow

opened up a hurricane came

and took away the home everything that

he had invested or at least the initial

payment

and he got upset with God and he said

Lord I bought 50 lots for you

and the home that I bought for myself

was taken by a hurricane and the Lord

said to him the home wasn’t the problem

it wasn’t the want to rest on the Warm

Sands of Florida

that’s not what brought you here but the

fact that you stopped trusting in me you

said in case God’s blessing stops

you think that with what you’ve done and

how you’ve served me I won’t take care

of you in your old age you think I won’t

take care of your children even your

third and fourth generation even if they

don’t serve me

you think I’ll stop blessing you

really

do we truly believe that

do we believe that God will say it

doesn’t matter how you’ve served

an unjust manager here on this world

pays us for our hours that we’ve worked

and we think God is going to abandon us

even if we mess up even if we stumble

to have a plan B

case the Mana runs out tomorrow he will

provide one day at a time one at a time

if you’re rich poor a millionaire one

day at a time your health is one day at

a time today you have health tomorrow

who knows today you have a home you had

breakfast and maybe you’ll have lunch

but tomorrow who knows

if we didn’t learn this during the

pandemic and we’re just a bunch of

stubborn people

the provision and Providence is daily

when we say give me 10 men as instead of

one what we’re saying is God I don’t

want to have to come back tomorrow to

ask you for more but God says that’s a

lie you’re not asking me for provision

you’re asking me to not depend on me

so if today we’re going to say to the

Lord that are from here on out we’re

going to honor him with our hearts and

that he’ll always be our first fruit

I celebrate those that congregate here

on Sundays because Sunday is the first

day of the week these are the first

hours of the week that blesses your week

it’ll bless the rest of the week yes or

no

I bless those that sow I bless those

that give

what comes in from a contractor a TV

show or a radio show or a conference or

a book it urges me I’m not trying to

brag but I immediately have to set aside

temper the first 10 for the Lord I don’t

want to take what belongs to my partner

and up until now I’ve done well

I don’t know what it’s like to not

depend on him he takes care of my health

he takes care of my family he sustains

me he takes care of me on planes even if

it’s Avianca he brings me back home

he gives me Health he gives me my voice

my mind hasn’t failed me not that I can

remember

he keeps my neurons in their in their

places

he lets me walk stoically stand before a

crowd hear around the globe all I have

is gratitude and I say all you’re asking

me Lord all you’re asking me for is just

a part not the last but the first and

it’s always been that way the first ten

percent it’s a priority it’s what a what

a bride would ask her groom or a groom

of her bride I want to be her priority I

want to be the first spot in your heart

and that’s what God will always ask us

for

and everything else will come

additives

God loves you so much

that he won’t

stop you from completing or fulfilling

your dreams and how do I know this will

because I’m a child and I have children

I don’t say just the food that they need

no but if I can I spoil my children

don’t we like to buy them the shoes that

they dream over the iPad if we can we

give it to them

and God is a is a father that knows how

to give if an unjust father knows how to

give good gifts what about our father in

Heaven

but not with the wrong motivations if

there’s a rotten apple in her heart

it will make the whole box

God has allowed us to be a river to the

rest of the world a blessing we’re going

to celebrate the King of Kings come on

if you can’t get on your feet and give a

grand Applause to the King of Kings the

Lord of lords give thanks for this word

that reaches our hearts Hallelujah

let me tell you something before we say

goodbye to the rest of the world you

know what I like

about when God speaks to us sometimes he

makes us cry sometimes it makes us laugh

very much and sometimes he speaks harsh

but you can see it’s it’s the menu

the diet that we have with God we we

need a balanced diet of carbs proteins

and this is a message that’s necessary

Rivers offering is

this is great we’re always thinking of

how we can send more to the rest of the

world this doesn’t come from need it

comes from the fact that God said to me

teach them what I’ve taught you

the right way the good way so that you

don’t lose any battles out there so that

no one goes out into life

and be exterminated by a small village

you don’t deserve it you’ve worked very

hard you worked very hard to lose a

battle so that a bankruptcy comes along

and takes her home so that you live in

debts so that the fine print on the

credit cards Eat You Alive

I don’t want you to to work to pay off

instead of earning you don’t deserve it

and what’s the secret it’s not looking

for a new job or asking for a new card

it’s not a new president it’s not a

republican in office the secret is

always always always here or in any

other place in the world it’s a place in

God

the priority in our lives and all that

we do all that we give

try and pray first thing in the morning

read the Bible first thing in the

morning

fast first thing in the morning

try and seek God as soon as you wake up

before you hear the news try and listen

to praise or Worship in your car if you

place him as a priority in your life

your life flips 180 degrees really it

works

be ready for a surprise audit at any

moment and at any moment he’ll say how’s

your heart doing you’ll say perfect

now if someone

looks into your checkbook you see they

can see where your priorities where your

money goes

and so quote unquote you’ll be condemned

to blessings and divine success because

that will take you to open doors Open

Heavens someone needs to believe it say

Amen do you truly believe it

we’re going to pray Lift Your Hands to

Heaven and say father thank you for this

moment lift up your hands to Heaven

we’re going to pray together father

thank you for this moment I’ve

transmitted what I believe you told me

to tell these people

I’ve told your people this word that I

know surges from your heart and you’ve

told me tell them

that I will take away all burdens

anything that affects them anything that

doesn’t allow them to be happy they will

be prosperous and blessed Lord I believe

that it pours out today but not that

magical Prosperity those ridiculous

pacts no obedience pour us out and in

obedience there’s prosperity and in

obedience there’s blessing

I’m going to fight your battles for you

says the Lord I will fight I will defend

you there are people here that need that

needs God to defend them there are

people that don’t know how to defend

themselves because even lawyers even

those that want to help you even the

accountants don’t know what to do but

the Lord says come to me seek me and I

will make it so that your finances are

in order I will make it so that your

heart is in order remove the putrid

Apple from the box says the Lord take

away what’s rotten because I will not

oppress I will not bless if there is

poison under your mattress take away the

poison the Venom and you will see

blessing over your account and I stand

before the living and the dead like

Moses I stand on the front lines of

river church and I say Lord with the

authority you’ve given me

I take away all putrid rotten apples any

anathema any Spirit of of stealing of

dissension of

of selfishness

and I pour out your blessing now come on

those that have to baptism of the spirit

interced as the spirit gives you

utterance begin to cry out pray to the

Lord and say Lord You’ve spoken you’ve

blessed us the Lord speaks of the first

fruits in your health and your and your

finances in your heart and your soul and

your mind and your spirit blow God blow

Upon Us pour out upon us your glory

to a greater measure more more until it

overflows until it’s so great that it

surprises us may the glory of God flood

your heart and your mind come on lift up

your hands if you’re in a financial

crisis if you need to get out ahead God

has shown me he showed me yesterday

while I was at home people

that were burdened with their finances

and God says to me today today I will

bless you

a blessing is coming something that you

weren’t expecting a win from another

Direction but remember remember

where the Salvation comes from remember

to look back David to The Lion and the

bear because that’s how you will face

Goliath remember where I brought you

from remember my faithfulness because

I’ve blessed so many and as soon as

they’ve received the blessing they

forget the provider of the gift remember

Church remember how God blessed you

remember how God took you out

of that hunger

it’s not the government that’s not any

politician there’s no one that can give

you what I will give you says the Lord

lift up your hand and drink receive say

Lord this word is sealed in my heart in

my soul and in the spirit and I believe

it presence of the spirit Blow from the

north south east and west pour out your

glory now

foreign

[Music]

until it overflows

until they’re Surplus

thank you Father oh how you love us how

you love us

how the lord loves you how the lord

loves you little one little boy little

girl how the lord loves you

come on come on come on there’s this

checkpoint now but the Lord says in my

grace and my Mercy come on

take all fear take it all out of the

from below your mattress everything that

doesn’t allow you to trust in him

oh holy spirit of God

come on continue continue just a few

minutes more

I told you that my greatest fear is I

don’t know I think I’ve had this fear

for 15 20 years but losing my mind

I work with my mind and I say no

question

I don’t ever want to lose my mind or or

inherit the I saw my mother’s

Alzheimer’s

I saw her losing her mind and I said God

just such a such an intelligent woman

but

allow me to keep my mind in my old age

and he said to me just as I’ve been in

your first days I’ll be in your last

days and if I lose my mind

it’ll be because God says I don’t want

him to suffer so I’m going to take away

some of his neurons

when you leave your health and your

economy under his control your home your

your your your children

his yoke is easy and his burden is light

you don’t have to worry

the point is to trust in God has he

failed you until now no he was with you

yes

when you went through the pain did you

bring did he bring you here yes did you

eat are you healthy yes so then why is

God going to change because you’ve

messed up no he when he went up on the

cross the amount of times you would mess

up and he died for the sense that you

committed the ones you’re committing now

and the ones you will commit the lord

loves you so much that he won’t leave

you trust in his faithfulness be happy

cling on to him and have a good life

until you have to go to Eternity or if

he comes to search for us may God bless

you may he protect you

by marvelous people until next Sunday

bye bye bye God bless you

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is

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it is

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oh

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this is

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foreign

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everything

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