Day 10 - Stay Wealthy by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Consistency Over Intensity

Ten days of daily Bible study and prayer is not a small thing. The manna in the wilderness had to be gathered every single day. You could not pick it for an entire week at once. God designed daily dependence — not occasional intensity. Consistency over intensity, every time.

Marriage — What God Originally Intended

Mark 10:2-12

The Pharisees came to test Jesus with a question about divorce. Jesus turned the question back to what Moses commanded, then corrected the premise. He said Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of human hearts — but that was not God's original plan. From the beginning, God made them male and female.

• For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother — men must be able to genuinely leave their parents to build a new home.
• And cleave to his wife — two independent individuals come together as one. Not two halves that need each other to be complete. Two whole people becoming one.
• Oneness is not sameness. God is not asking two people to become identical — he is asking two individuals to become united.

On the matter of divorce: the Bible is clear that the one who puts away the other is the one committing adultery. If you are the one put away, you are not bound. 1 Corinthians 7 also says that if someone walks away from a marriage, the remaining partner is not bound. You are not obligated to remain unmarried for the rest of your life because someone walked out.

Jesus Loves Children

Mark 10:13-16

The disciples rebuked those who brought children to Jesus. Jesus was indignant. He said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me." Jesus loves your child. If you have a child with a condition or challenge, know that Jesus wants to touch that child. He left what he was doing in Mark 9 to attend to a child. He will attend to yours.

The Danger of Trusting in Riches

Mark 10:17-27

A young man ran to Jesus asking how to inherit eternal life. He had kept all the commandments from childhood. Jesus said to him: one thing you lack — go, sell everything, give to the poor, and come follow me. The man went away grieved.

This is where many misread the scripture. Jesus then said:

"How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God."

Notice the precision. Not those who have riches. Those who trust in riches.

The disciples were astonished — because none of them had signed a poverty deal. They wanted money too. And Jesus went further: with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Even a wealthy person can walk in the kingdom of God — when God is the one they are trusting.

God does not have a problem with you having money. He has a problem with money having you.

There are many poor people who trust in money — who believe that if only they had it, everything would be right. And there are wealthy people who give it away freely because their trust is entirely in God. The condition of the heart is what God is addressing.