Shownotes
Delving into the intricate tapestry of divine wealth, this episode elucidates the profound truths encapsulated within the biblical depiction of heaven's opulence. The speaker articulates a vision of the New Jerusalem, a city not merely adorned with precious materials but embodying the very essence of abundance, beauty, and purpose. The transformative series invites believers to recalibrate their understanding of prosperity, asserting that the true challenge lies not in the lack of resources, but in the absence of a heavenly mindset. Throughout the discourse, we are reminded that while earthly wealth often breeds greed and pride, the riches of heaven are characterized by purity and generosity, inviting us to reflect these divine attributes in our lives. As we explore the symbolism of gold streets and pearl gates, we are compelled to embrace a culture that prioritizes excellence and beauty as reflections of God's nature, thus transforming our perception of prosperity from a pursuit of material gain to a manifestation of divine character.
Transcripts
The great street of the city was gold, as pure as transparent glass.
Speaker A:Revelation 21, verse 21.
Speaker A:Welcome to the transformational series that will challenge everything you've ever believed about prosperity, value, abundance and wealth in the kingdom of God.
Speaker A:This is not a series about getting rich.
Speaker A:It is not a motivational message stressed in Christian language.
Speaker A:It is not a prosperity gospel remix.
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker A:This series is an unveiling of heaven's culture, God's culture and the revelation of how citizens of heaven ought to think, live, give and steward life on earth.
Speaker A:The problem for many believers is not that they lack resources.
Speaker A:It's that they lack heaven's mindset.
Speaker A:They believe in salvation, but not in abundance.
Speaker A:They believe in God's power, but not his provision.
Speaker A:They believe in heaven's holiness, but not heaven's wealth.
Speaker A:Yet Jesus taught us to pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Speaker A:But how can we bring heaven to earth if we do not understand heaven's culture?
Speaker A:This series, Heaven's Wealth Culture, will reveal four groundbreaking truths.
Speaker A:One, Heaven is wealthy because God is wealthy.
Speaker A:Two, Prosperity in heaven is normal.
Speaker A:Not resisted, not abused, not idolized, but normal.
Speaker A:3.
Speaker A:Wealth in heaven is without corruption, without greed, and without pride.
Speaker A:Believers are called to reflect heaven's culture of abundance, beauty, generosity and purpose on earth.
Speaker A:And today we begin where the Bible begins with whenever it pulls back the curtain on heaven's wealth.
Speaker A:Streets of gold, gates of pearl, the architecture of the eternal city.
Speaker A:Imagine John standing on the Isle of Patmos, tired, wounded, exiled and alone.
Speaker A:Then suddenly taken into the most breathtaking vision ever recorded.
Speaker A:Heaven opens and he sees a city descending from God.
Speaker A:Not a village, not a farm, not a wilderness.
Speaker A:A city radiant, structured, designed and adorned.
Speaker A:And the first thing John notices is not an angel, not a choir, not even a throne.
Speaker A:He notices materials.
Speaker A:Gold everywhere, pearls everywhere, precious stones everywhere.
Speaker A:Because God doesn't hide his glory, he builds with it.
Speaker A:This is not heaven's message to Earth.
Speaker A:Right from the opening site.
Speaker A:My standard is not scarcity.
Speaker A:My nature is not luck.
Speaker A:My culture is not poverty.
Speaker A:I am the God of abundance, beauty, excellence and overflowing provision.
Speaker A:Now, the purpose of this message today is to promote the following message.
Speaker A:The streets of gold and gates of pearl reveal God's standard for beauty, value, abundance and prosperity, showing believers that godly prosperity starts with God's nature, not the world's systems.
Speaker A:Let's go into point number one.
Speaker A:Heaven is a city of intentional opulence.
Speaker A:John describes the New Jerusalem like an architect giving a project report.
Speaker A:Walls of Jasper, foundations decorated with 12 precious stones.
Speaker A:A city made of pure gold.
Speaker A:Streets that shine like transparent glass gates made of giant single pearls.
Speaker A:This is not exaggeration.
Speaker A:This is not symbolism.
Speaker A:It is not poetic metaphor.
Speaker A:It's a literal, detailed and it's purposeful.
Speaker A:Heaven is intentionally beautiful, intentionally valuable and intentionally radiant.
Speaker A:In heaven, beauty is not extra, it is normal.
Speaker A:Abundance does not spare us suspicious, it is natural.
Speaker A:Glory is not reserved, it is everywhere.
Speaker A:This is the first lesson of heaven's wealth culture.
Speaker A:God is not afraid of value.
Speaker A:God is not limited.
Speaker A:God is not cheap.
Speaker A:Scarcity is not holy.
Speaker A:Poverty is not piety.
Speaker A:Beauty is not sinful.
Speaker A:Excellence is not prideful.
Speaker A:Heaven shows us what God is comfortable with.
Speaker A:And God is comfortable with abundance.
Speaker A:Point number two.
Speaker A:The streets are gold because value is normal in God's realm.
Speaker A:For human beings, gold is luxury.
Speaker A:On earth, gold is locked in vaults, protected by governments, pursued by miners and used to secure economies.
Speaker A:But in heaven, gold is pavement, gold is flooring.
Speaker A:Gold is beneath your feet.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because in heaven, value is normal.
Speaker A:Gold is not a symbol of pride.
Speaker A:It is a symbol of God's sufficiency.
Speaker A:Gold is not a status symbol.
Speaker A:It is a reflection of his glory.
Speaker A:Gold is not rare.
Speaker A:It is readily available in his presence.
Speaker A:This teaches believers something powerful.
Speaker A:Stop fearing provision, stop shrinking your dreams.
Speaker A:Stop praying like God is limited.
Speaker A:Stop planning like Heaven is broke.
Speaker A:If God paved heaven's ground with gold, he certainly has enough to meet your needs.
Speaker A:The streets of gold speak loudly.
Speaker A:Where God rules, there is no shortage.
Speaker A:Point 3.
Speaker A:The gates of pearl reveal God's process of beauty.
Speaker A:A normal pearl fits in jewelry.
Speaker A:Heaven's pearls are the size of city gates.
Speaker A:A pearl forms through irritation, pressure, grinding and time inside an oyster.
Speaker A:So why does God choose pearls, not diamonds, not iron, not silver, as a material for heaven's gates?
Speaker A:Well, because the gates carry a message.
Speaker A:In my kingdom, suffering becomes beauty, pressure becomes radiance.
Speaker A:Trials become testimonies, pain becomes access.
Speaker A:Pearls are not the only gemstone formed through living anguish.
Speaker A:God uses pearls as gates because every believer enters through Christ suffering.
Speaker A:And every believer carries their own story of battles endured, faith fought for tears shed, trial survived.
Speaker A:Heaven's gates are not just beautiful, they are meaningful.
Speaker A:Godly prosperity must be rooted in godly process.
Speaker A:Not shortcuts, not manipulation, not greed, not exploitation.
Speaker A:True prosperity is not about what you have.
Speaker A:It is about who you become while receiving it.
Speaker A:Point number four.
Speaker A:Heaven's opulence reveals God's character, not human greed.
Speaker A:Let's correct a foundational misunderstanding.
Speaker A:Prosperity is not the enemy.
Speaker A:Greed is the enemy.
Speaker A:Gold is not sinful.
Speaker A:Pride is sinful.
Speaker A:Wealth is not wicked.
Speaker A:Misplaced worship is wicked.
Speaker A:Heaven teaches that beauty reflects God's nature, not humanity's corruption.
Speaker A:Look at the design.
Speaker A:Perfection, precision, excellence, radiance, order, glory.
Speaker A:Nothing in heaven is mediocre.
Speaker A:Nothing in heaven is cheap.
Speaker A:Nothing in heaven is disorganized.
Speaker A:This is because God Himself is a God of excellence.
Speaker A:So what does that mean for his children?
Speaker A:If God's environment is beautiful, your environment must reflect beauty.
Speaker A:If God's culture is order, you must reflect order.
Speaker A:If God's mindset is abundance, you must reject scarcity.
Speaker A:Heaven's wealth reveals God's nature, and God's nature shapes our prosperity.
Speaker A:Point Number five.
Speaker A:What streets of gold teach believers about godly prosperity?
Speaker A:Heaven's design is a message to God's children.
Speaker A:This is how I think.
Speaker A:This is my standard.
Speaker A:Duplicate my culture.
Speaker A:On Earth, we don't copy the materials.
Speaker A:We copy the mindset.
Speaker A:Heaven teaches us that guided prosperity includes excellence.
Speaker A:If God's streets shine, your work should shine.
Speaker A:If his gates radiate glory, your character should radiate purity.
Speaker A:An abundance mindset.
Speaker A:God never runs out, he never lacks.
Speaker A:He never fears scarcity.
Speaker A:So why should you?
Speaker A:God is not intimidated by beauty.
Speaker A:Your life, your home, your ministry, your work should reflect heavenly order and dignity.
Speaker A:Generosity.
Speaker A:Heaven's abundance teaches us to give freely.
Speaker A:When value is normal, giving is joyful, purposeful prosperity.
Speaker A:Heaven's wealth exists because of God and for God.
Speaker A:Our prosperity must have the same anchor point.
Speaker A:Number six.
Speaker A:Earthly prosperity without heavenly culture becomes corruption.
Speaker A:Wealth on earth becomes dangerous when disconnected from Heaven's culture.
Speaker A:That's when it creates greed, pride, exploitation, selfishness, worship of money.
Speaker A:But when wealth is connected to heaven's culture, it becomes holy, pure, generous, purposeful, balanced and aligned.
Speaker A:Heaven shows us what pure prosperity looks like.
Speaker A:No competition, no insecurity, no hoarding, no anxiety, no deceit.
Speaker A:No because heaven.
Speaker A:Everything in heaven is anchored in God.
Speaker A:This is how believers must think about prosperity.
Speaker A:Not as something to chase, but as something to reflect.
Speaker A:Here are some practical applications for living heaven's wealth culture right now.
Speaker A:1.
Speaker A:Reject a scarcity mentality.
Speaker A:Don't plan, dream or pray as if God is limited.
Speaker A:Number two.
Speaker A:Embrace excellence as worship.
Speaker A:If heaven is excellent, your work should be excellent.
Speaker A:3.
Speaker A:Practice generosity.
Speaker A:Give like someone who has access to heaven's treasury.
Speaker A:4.
Speaker A:Value, order and beauty.
Speaker A:God's glory is reflected in both.
Speaker A:5.
Speaker A:Trust God for provision.
Speaker A:The God who paves heaven with gold can pave your life with favor.
Speaker A:Here are some questions for reflection.
Speaker A:Number 1.
Speaker A:What does heaven's architecture reveal about God's nature?
Speaker A:2.
Speaker A:How has scarcity shaped my mindset, my decisions or expectations?
Speaker A:3.
Speaker A:Which heavenly value, beauty, excellence, generosity, abundance is God calling me to reflect?
Speaker A:4.
Speaker A:What fears do I need to release in order to trust God's provision?
Speaker A:5.
Speaker A:How does seeing prosperity as God's culture, not man's obsession, shift my life?
Speaker A:Closing Prayer Let us pray.
Speaker A:Father, thank you for revealing the beauty and abundance of heaven.
Speaker A:Thank you for showing us your standard, your nature and your culture.
Speaker A:Transform our minds to think like heaven.
Speaker A:Break every scarcity mindset, cleanse us from the fear of thinking small and teach us to prosper your way with purity, purpose, generosity and excellence.
Speaker A:May our lives reflect the brightness of golden streets and purity of pearly gates.
Speaker A:In Jesus name, amen.
