T.D. Jakes - Loved by God: The Spiritual Wealth of the Believer

2000 by T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes Ministries

Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-1348-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The Scripture quotation marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

CONTENTS

LOVED BY GOD

THE SPIRITUAL WEALTH
OF THE BELIEVER

INTRODUCTION

The Ephesians understood wealth great wealth.

Ephesus was a city with marble streets, mosaic sidewalks, a massive temple that was considered one of the wonders of the Greek world, a busy port, a popular athletic arena, one of the finest libraries in the first century, and villas that were filled with artwork, tapestries, silks, and exotic birds and animals. Even today, the coliseum at Ephesus is considered one of the finest performing centers in the world.

Caravans from the east routinely ended their journeys at Ephesus, and ships from ports throughout the Mediterranean brought the riches of Egypt, Rome, Greece, Spain, and northern Africa. Anything of natural wealth that a person might desire could be purchased or enjoyed to excess in Ephesus.

Yes, the Ephesians understood wealth, but the apostle Paul came to town and blew their minds by presenting a type of wealth they had never encountered before. Paul brought the riches of heaven. He presented to them the God of all riches, the God who gave His only begotten Son, His most precious possession

We can discover just how precious Jesus was to God when we examine the Greek word translated only begotten, which is monogenes , a compound word. Mono means only, and ginomai means to be. Jesus was the only one to be the only one of a kind who ever existed. He was highly precious and of exceeding value to God because He was extremely rare. There was no one like Him and no one else in His category. Gods willingness to share and sacrifice for us this wholly unique treasure, His only begotten Son, was the supreme expression of His love for us.

The wealth the apostle Paul brought to Ephesus is the same wealth the book of Ephesians presents to all people: Jesus Christ. In Him is everything a human being could ever dream of, hope for, or desire and more.

There has never been a time in history where most people did not believe that possessing great wealth was the key to happiness. Yet time and time again we have seen millionaires and billionaires live miserable lives and even kill themselves. We have watched their children wander through life aimlessly, self-destruct, and even use their wealth to destroy others. Why? Because their wealth was in temporal things and not in eternal blessings.

Material wealth is not an evil in and of itself. Ten dollars in the hands of a criminal or a pastor is still ten dollars, and ten dollars in the hands of that pastor can do great good! The Bible says it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. (See 1 Timothy 6:10.) When we love money, we are consumed with making it, multiplying it, and keeping it. But the truth is, it has us by the throat and our lives are meaningless.

Mankind must connect to the God of all riches to truly enjoy and to avoid being controlled and owned by material wealth. Thank God, through Jesus Christ, we can connect! And when that divine connection takes place and we are gloriously born again, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts and we begin the adventure of the truly privileged: discovering our riches in Christ.

KNOWING OUR SOURCE

To be convinced that we are about to receive great riches, we must be convinced that the person giving the riches to us is capable of doing so. We certainly know that any time a person writes a check and hands it to us, the check is only as good as the check-writers ability to pay. We must know that they possess the amount in the bank that is written on the slip of paper handed to us.

As children of God, we must know that our heavenly Father possesses everything we need in life, a promise He makes to us from cover to cover, throughout the Bible. Therefore, Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians by declaring the grace, resources, and power of God, the author of all wealth. It is vitally important for us to know that the verses at the beginning of chapter 1 are speaking distinctly and primarily of God the Father and His redemptive plan and work. From Blessed be the God and Father in verse 3 through verse 14, unto the praise of his glory, the Holy Spirit is revealing to us the majesty, riches, and power of Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although the revelation of the Father God impacts our lives significantly and dynamically for all time, this particular passage is not about us. This passage is about Him His glory and His grace.

P aul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ .

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ .

E PHESIANS 1:1-3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul considers the foundation for all of our blessings in Christ to be this fact: God is blessed. He is not frail, impoverished, or impotent. He has every resource at His disposal, both things seen and unseen. Nothing lies beyond His ownership. A person or a group of people may think they own or control certain resources, but ultimately, it is God who owns those resources and who has temporarily allowed man to use them.

God is all-powerful. He is fully capable and able in all situations, at all times, and regardless of circumstance to exert control over His resources. God has authority over all things. He can and will do what He says He can and will do when it comes to blessings and the transfer of wealth.

Mining companies dont truly own the gold and silver and other precious stones and metals of this earth.

Oil companies dont truly own the oil and gas resources of the earth.

Man can never own any of the earths resources because all resources are created by God.

The One who creates is the one who owns!

Who owns ideas?

Who owns creativity?

Who owns motivation or enthusiasm?

Who owns ability?

Who owns talents?

Who created these capacities in man?

God did! What God creates, God owns. He imparts these resources to people and allows them to use His resources, but He never relinquishes ownership over His resources. Behind every transaction and every transfer of wealth on this earth are ability, ideas, invention, innovation, and energy. All are owned by God, because all are created by God and imparted by God.

The devil doesnt own anything he thinks he owns.

The gang doesnt own your neighborhood.