KEY SCRIPTURES
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13:11 (ESV)

A feast is made for laughter,
And wine makes merry;
But money answers everything. Ecclesiastes 10:19

Key Thought: The creation of wealth is necessary to bring wholistic transformation, however we can only create sustainable wealth if we in honesty apply the right processes over time.

Introduction: The Necessity of Wealth for Transformation

We are standing at a unique moment in the history of our nation where there appears to be a
widely shared belief that we can do better than we have done. We also stand in a unique moment in World History where the whole global economy is suffering in such a way that has not been seen in living memory due to COVID-19. Our economies have been broken, our national revenue base has shattered, many of our businesses are suffering and many careers have come to an unexpected end. Yet, we must continue to believe that from these current unpleasant circumstances must emerge a better and more prosperous future. We must believe that while our God has limitless compassion upon, and affinity with the poor, he does not celebrate the condition of poverty. Poverty does not reflect the world that he created in the beginning neither does it reflect the future that God has in store for humanity. While we live in this fallen world, we must do what we can to generate wealth that will enable us to support the holistic mission of brining transformation to all of society through our faith and our life.

The subject of wealth creation is therefore critical. For that reason, I would encourage you to obtain the audio or video sermons of the Wealth Creation Series as it covers more ground and presents a fuller picture of the subject than can be addressed in just a single sermon. For today however, based on the understanding that God wants us to make progress and will enable us to make progress we want to remind ourselves of two cardinal truths from Proverbs 13:11.

TWO ASPECTS OF WEALTH CREATION

1. Ill-gotten Wealth is Pointless
   • The word being used here for “hastily” is the Hebrew word hebel. It has the connotation of being fleeting like breath, transient, passing. To gain wealth in this dishonest way is vain because it is fleeting. It has no substance and thus is futile. Wealth obtained by this hasty and dishonest means therefore cannot last.
   • This concept is mirrored throughout the Wisdom of the Bible. For instance;
     
     Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid,
     so are those who get their wealth by unjust means.
     At midlife they will lose their riches;
     in the end, they will become poor old fools. Jeremiah 17:11
     
     or
     
     Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
     but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 10 vs 2
     
     Wealth that is acquired through unjust means is transient, fleeting, and therefore vanity.
   • It is important to note that there are two grounds that emerge from the study of these kinds of scriptures as to why ill-gotten wealth is vanity.
     1. The first of those is that it is unrighteous for us to gain wealth by unrighteous means. This should appear to be obvious to us, but it needs to be said that wealth that is obtained by unrighteous means is unrighteous wealth. This kind of money cannot be legitimized through acts of generosity or giving to houses of worship or “people of God.”
        
     2. The second reason why such wealth is vanity is that according to the scripture it doesn’t last. The wicked and the wealth that they accumulate are swept away quickly and completely (Psalm 73:19). One thing to note is that the wealth of the righteous is inter-generational while the wealth of the wicked ends with them.
        
        A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22.
        
        Stolen wealth therefore becomes futile because it doesn’t last! This is not only a
        factor of how the world works but it is also a factor of God being committed to
        actively ensure that this happens. God is active in ensuring that stolen wealth is
        taken away from those who steal it.
        
2. Lasting Wealth Can Only Be Accumulated by Effort
   • The various translations serve to underline the reality that the only means for us to acquire wealth is to apply our honest (and creative) effort over time;
     
     but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. ESV
     
     wealth from hard work grows over time. NLT
     
     but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. KJV
     
   • We may therefore understand this to be a different way of thinking than the thinking generated by those who seek to get rich though a) unethical means and b) unnaturally quick means. These two concepts are related. The only valid way to accumulate wealth is to expend effort is through the application of effort over time. This is not a curse, this in fact is a blessing! (See the description of the blessed person in Psalm 1). The blessing is that the application of effort will bring forth an anticipated and expected harvest by the power of God. Just as God is faithful to overturn the prosperity of the wicked, he is faithful to establish the prosperity of the righteous who obey him in righteousness and hard work.
     
     Let’s restore healthy ambition in our nation. We have seen excesses that have turned us off. This has made wealth in general to be suspect. We need a restoration of right perspectives of wealth that says; “Lord enable me to generate wealth the Godly way” for the transformation of the Nation, wealth for the transformation of our businesses, wealth for the transformation of our ministries and our families. We need people that will make wealth creation honorable again.

Conclusion: Let Us in Faith Be Diligent to Apply the Right Processes in Our Lives

Our key scripture today has really been about processes. The processes that God prescribes are guaranteed to bring the outcome that God prescribes.

When it comes to generating wealth, the process is just as important as the outcome. It is not just about how much we are able to accumulate, but it is also about the process by which it is obtained. We can be assured that if we try and build our lives and our wealth the right way then we are guaranteed a measure of effectiveness All hard work brings a profit.-Proverbs 14:23. The assurance of this verse extends beyond money. It is an assurance that when we apply God ordained processes to better the circumstances of our life we will reap a reward.