Inequality and the Prosperity Gospel: God's Economy of Enough

God's economy operates on the principle of enough, not excess. The Israelites receiving manna in the wilderness teaches us to trust God's daily provision rather than hoarding out of fear. Throughout Scripture, from the manna to the feeding of multitudes, we see that abundance isn't measured by excess but by trust in divine provision. John Wesley modeled this by living simply while giving generously. Practicing contentment means observing Sabbath rest, curbing waste, giving generously, and living more simply - finding that godliness with contentment is great gain.

Transcript

This morning we're continuing our sermon series called Inequality in the Prosperity Gospel. And I'm going to invite you to open up your Bibles to the book of Exodus. It's in the Old Testament towards the beginning. Exodus, chapter 16, verses 1 through 30. It's a long reading today, but we'll have it on the screen so you can follow along.

Friends, here is the word of God for us today.

Verse 1 says, the whole Israelite community set out from Elam and came to the desert of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, if only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve the entire assembly to death.

Then the Lord said to Moses, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days. So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, in the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.

And in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we that you should grumble against us? Moses also said, you will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.

Then Moses said to Aaron, say to the Israelite, sorry, the entire Israelite community, come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling. When Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked towards the desert and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. The Lord said to Moses, I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them at twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord, your God.

That evening, quail came and they covered the camp. And in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert. Floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, what is it for?

They did not know what it was. Moses said to them, it is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded. Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.

The Israelites did as they were told. Some gathered much, some gathered little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much. And the one who gathered little did not have too little. And everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

Then Moses said to them, no one is to keep any of it until morning. However, some of them paid no attention to Moses. They kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning, everyone gathered as much as they needed.

And when the sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, Two omers for each person. And the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, this is what the Lord has commanded. Tomorrow is to be a day of Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.

So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever's left and keep it until morning. So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded. And it did not stink or get maggots in it. Eat it today, Moses said, because today is a Sabbath to the Lord.

You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any. Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses, how long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?

Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath. That is why on the sixth day, he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are. On the seventh day, no one is to go out. So the people rested on the seventh day.

So this morning we're talking about God's economy of enough. But I want to ask you a question, and I'm sure you know the definition. What does it mean to hoard something?

Keep it for a long time, more than you need, hold on to it. Anybody else? Something that has sentimental value, you keep and hang on to it. Okay? Yeah.

To hoard something is to collect large amounts of that thing and keep it for yourself, often in a secret place. Now, this comes from the Cambridge dictionary. That's literally the definition from the Cambridge dictionary. Have you ever hoarded something in your life? Something out of fear?

Toilet paper. Yes. All right, we all remember 2020, right? Anything else? Have you hoarded something?

Bacon? Yeah.

Soap. Okay. Hoarding soap.

Okay, that makes sense. Cassie? Art supplies. Clothing, What?

Arts and craft supplies. Yep. Arts and craft supplies. Yes. So sometimes those things look like toilet paper during 2020.

Right. We remember the COVID pandemic. Maybe it's clearly milk and bread before every snowstorm. Right. You've never had a glass of milk in 20 years, but by God, there's a snowstorm coming, you're going straight for the milk aisle.

There's something about scarcity that triggers something deep in us, an urge to grab, to store, to secure, as a kind of just in case situation. Right. But I want to remind you that God's economy doesn't run on fear. God's economy runs on the design that there is enough. So last week we talked about the wrong idea about tithing or giving in abundance, how it entitles people to blessing or riches.

We don't believe that. That's not what the church is for. This is an idea that's steeped in. What we talked about last week is called the prosperity Gospel. We talked about how this particular understanding of giving more to God to get something back is not biblical.

And sometimes it's even harmful to people who put their trust in the principles espoused by some prosperity preachers. So this morning we're going to talk about what it looks like for us to trust in God's economy of enough. In God's economy, abundance isn't measured by excess, but by trust in God's divine provision and communal care. So Scripture paints a picture for us of a creator who designed a world of enough. Enough manna in the wilderness, enough oil for the widow, enough loaves and fish to feed thousands.

God's kind of abundance is not hoarded for the powerful, but shared freely so that all people can flourish. God's design calls us away from scarcity mindsets toward a kingdom vision where generosity reveals the heart of heaven and every person has what they need, not because of luck or because of something they've done to earn it. Not because of special prayers or the amount that they've given, but because God's grace has always been meant to be enough. God's economy doesn't run on stockpiles. It runs on daily trust.

In scripture we just read in Exodus, when the Israelites journey through the wilderness, they faced deep Uncertainty. What are we going to eat? Right? After generations of being enslaved in Egypt, the Israelites were finally free. After 400 years plus, they were set free.

And they go out into the wilderness following Moses and they get hungry, right? God responded not with extravagance, not with, hey, I'm going to give you more than you could ever use, store it up for yourselves and eat it again tomorrow. No, no. God shows up with manna. This gift of God that is designed to be for that day only, right?

As the sun grows hot, the manna disappears. It goes away each morning it appeared. And while there is plenty in the morning and there's some to spare, the text is clear that God only wanted everybody to get enough. There was this economic miracle grounded in rhythm of hunger and restraint. There wasn't hoarding, there was no stockpiling it.

If someone gathered more than they needed, it's spoiled, right? Why? Because God was not just feeding the Israelites. God was training their hearts to trust in God's daily provision. This story can reframe and reorient our mindset.

The question of will there be enough tomorrow becomes, there is enough for today. There's enough for now. This is how Heaven teaches contentment here on Earth. In the Exodus scripture, there's this moment where we see that some people are not great at listening, right? But God still performs a miracle that leads to just the right amount.

In Exodus 16, 17 and 18, it says the Israelites did as they were told. Some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the Omer, the one who gathered much didn't have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed, which is strange. This in itself becomes a miracle.

Get it all. Let's get it all. And they put it in their little omer, measurement jar, cup, container, thing, perfect amount. Those who went out maybe and were a little slower, a little older or younger, gathered what they could, and it didn't look like or feel like it was going to be enough when they put it in the measurement container. Perfect.

And in this moment, no one doesn't have what they need. No one goes without, and no one had a stockpile. This should serve as a reminder that God is not giving to make people unequal. God is giving us what we need, the perfect amount. Now, that's not what the world looks like today.

Oftentimes, right? The idea of enough is scattered all throughout Scripture, though, from the Old Testament to the New Testament in the Book of the Proverbs, in chapter 30, verses 7 through 9, it says this. Two things I ask of you, Lord, do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, who is the Lord? Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.

That prayer is crazy to me because when I was growing up, it's not so much a prayer, but you remember, like every time you blow out your birthday candles. What do you wish for right now? Don't tell me because I can't know, otherwise it won't come true. But that for me felt like a prayer, like God, I just need a million dollars right now, right? This idea of praying for too much, like, I want to be comfortable, I want to be safe.

I don't want to have to worry about what the future brings. And this person, the author here in the Psalms, is saying, God, just give me what I need.

And that's tough because I want to make sure that tomorrow I have what I need, right? Trusting in God's providence and God's provision becomes tough for us.

In a world that glorifies excess and accumulation. This passage reminds us that enough is holy. It teaches that both abundance and scarcity can tempt us away from trust in God's daily provision. But we need to be able to trust. In Matthew chapter 6, When Jesus is teaching his disciples to pray, he says something that often goes right over our heads.

In verse 11 in Matthew chapter 6, and this is in the middle of Jesus teaching us the Lord's Prayer, it says this, Give us today our daily bread.

How can churches recite the Lord's Prayer every single week that has this phrase in it? Also be the same churches that preach a message where wealth, health and prosperity can be obtained by special prayers and by giving to the church more, right? This is not saying, God, give me all the things I can handle right now. God, let me just have the safe bank account and a savings account and a retirement account. Hallelujah.

Lord Jesus, it says, give me today my daily bread. Provide for me in this moment and I'll trust you with tomorrow. I'll say the same prayer tomorrow. Give me enough, God.

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Jesus in this moment asks Philip, where are we going to be able to purchase enough bread for all these people? Philip responds by saying, well, it would take more than a whole year's wages in order for us to be able to purchase the kind of bread needed to feed all these folks. But then there's a boy. A boy who offers what he has. He has two fish and five small loaves of bread.

And then Jesus does something miraculous. After saying a blessing over the fish and bread, the disciples begin to distribute the food to everybody who's around. And everybody had enough. Afterwards, the disciples gathered up 12 baskets filled with leftovers. And I imagine that those leftovers were used to feed others.

What's important to remember about this miracle is that the miracle begins not with multiplying moment, but it begins with a sharing moment. A boy hands over his lunch, and that's what Jesus uses. Not surplus, not well, I have this extra fish. He gives everything he has, and Jesus uses it. Not only feed that boy, but everybody else who's there.

Out of that surrender, Jesus created enough for everybody to have what they wanted.

I'm sure you've been around Community Brookside long enough that you might have heard me mention the three general rules of the United Methodist Church. The general rules are do no harm, do good, and attend upon the ordinance of God. Some people change that to say, and stay in love with God. I don't think that does justice to what John Wesley talks about. So it says, attend upon the ordinance of God.

And that middle one, do good. It requires active redistribution of our time, attention, and our wealth. It's not about excess. It's about equity, grace, and doing collective good. Doing good should lead us to those new habits that cause us to become better believers and followers of Jesus.

All of this conversation today should remind us that enough is not a number. The practice of enough for us becomes a spiritual discipline. Learning to live with enough is a form of resistance. It's a rejection of the cultural demand to always upgrade, to always have the best, to always consume, to always climb whatever ladders are in front of us. Practicing enough means observing Sabbath.

It means curbing waste. It means giving generously and living more simply. Now, I want to be clear, that doesn't mean get rid of all your stuff. That's not what Jesus asks us here. He does do it at one point to a young man who says, I've done everything right, Jesus, I want to inherit the kingdom of life too.

What do I need to do? And Jesus says, get rid of everything you own. Give it to the poor, and then you'll have it. I want to, in that moment, speaks in prophetic hyperbole. Jesus isn't really demanding us to get rid of all of our stuff so we can give everything we have for the poor and then have nothing.

Jesus is telling us to the extreme which we should be willing to serve him.

We shouldn't stop growing, we shouldn't stop dreaming. We shouldn't stop planning for a future where we do have enough, but we have to live in enough first. Timothy 6, 6:10 says this. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

I spoke earlier of John Wesley's quote, earn all you can, serve all you can and. Sorry. Save all you can and give all you can. And John Wesley took his own words very seriously. At one point in his life, John earned a pretty substantial income from the time he earned about 1400 pounds a year, and it was from book royalties.

He actually wrote a medical book. I don't know if you knew that or not. But despite this large number, for the time, he chose to live on just 28 pounds a year, and he gave the rest away. His giving often exceeded his income and he used his resources to support missionaries, care for the widows and orphans in his area, and fund church ministries. When he died, the only money mentioned in his will was a loose change they found in his pockets and in his dresser drawers.

John Wesley's life is a compelling portrait of someone who didn't chase wealth, but pursued kingdom impact through simplicity and generosity. And because of his desire for the betterment of not just himself, but for others, he changed the entire faith. Christianity that we still feel impacts from today.

If we can become a little bit more like John Wesley, when we reframe the idea of prosperity as having enough to bless others, we begin to step into a different type of economy, the one that God has been teaching since manna came down from heaven. So this morning you may not feel rich, but God's economy enough is the mark of richness, of faith. In a world that says, he who dies with the most toys wins the gospel whispers. She who trusts God for today wins. So what would it look like for you to live with contentment this week?

What would it feel like for us to trust in what we have? Our time, our income, our gifts. What if we. We felt like it was just enough? What if we didn't have to chase something different or bigger?

Would that change how we feel about wealth? Would it change how we feel about our faith and a God who provides?

So I encourage you, friends, this week and always let each of us find ways that we can better follow the example of the Gospel of Jesus. May we each find ways to bless others with what we have been blessed with. So maybe this week we practice a fast not from food, but a fast from excess. What things can we go without this week? Is it that Trenta Frappuccino from Starbucks that we don't need?

Maybe we use that money to give to something else. I know Restore Hope does this incredible thing during Lent Fast a meal where we take the money that we would spend on a lunch and we fast that lunch and we give that money to Restore Hope, to help better the world. Maybe this week we give away something we don't need. Not your garbage, but something that will make a difference in the life of someone else. Or maybe this week we create margin by saying no to one thing, so we can say yes to God or yes to someone in need.

So, friends, my prayer for us this week is that we leave this place not with clenched hands, but with open hands. Maybe leave with a holy simplicity, not grasping greed. And may each of us trust that God's grace is just enough. It's sufficient, but also abundant. Friends, let's pray.